Beijing will expand export controls on critical minerals like tungsten, graphite, and magnesium needed to make electronics, a move analysts say is in anticipation of expected sweeping US tariffs on Chinese goods and increased curbs on advanced semiconductor chips and AI technology to China following the re-election of US President Donald Trump.
The restrictions also apply to specific technologies that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.
China controls more than 80% of the world’s supply of tungsten and about 90% of global magnesium production, according to one official estimate; the minerals are indispensable in building defense technology, weapons, aviation equipment, and spacecraft.
Washington has pushed to delink the supply chain from China by sourcing from other countries, primarily Latin America. But Beijing’s current export controls on critical minerals don’t appear to have significantly decreased their trade with the US, according to one analysis, while US export controls on semiconductors also don’t appear to be stopping big Chinese firms like Huawei from accessing cutting-edge technologies, The Washington Post reported.