China Controls Antimony Battery Material Exports: "Not Targeting Specific Countries"

China, the World's Largest Antimony Holder and Producer

China is set to impose export controls on the semi-metal antimony, which is used in batteries and other applications.

On the 15th, China's Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs announced, "In accordance with the Export Control Law, Foreign Trade Law, Customs Law, and other relevant regulations, we will control the export of antimony and superhard materials to protect national security and interests and fulfill international obligations such as nuclear non-proliferation." The related measures will take effect from July 15.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

At a regular briefing on the same day, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce stated, "Export controls are an international practice," adding, "They are not targeted at any specific country or region." The spokesperson further explained, "We oppose any country or region using China's controlled items to engage in activities that harm China's national sovereignty, security, and development interests."

The Ministry of Commerce did not disclose specific details including the scope of control, but major foreign media outlets have speculated that, given the mention of nuclear non-proliferation, military-related uses may be included. Previously, China restricted exports of gallium and germanium?metals used in semiconductor and electronic product manufacturing?from August last year, and added graphite, including spherical graphite, a key raw material for secondary batteries, to the export control list from December of the same year.

Antimony is mainly used as a flame retardant component that prevents fire spread and is widely used in batteries, night vision devices, nuclear weapons production, solar photovoltaic cells, communications, petrochemicals, and automobile manufacturing. It was also included when the government designated 33 critical minerals requiring management last year.

China is the world's largest holder and producer of antimony. According to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, as of last year, China's antimony reserves stood at 640,000 tons, accounting for 29.48% of the global reserves, and its production volume was 40,000 tons, representing 48.19% of the total worldwide production.

He Weiyuan, a senior researcher at the China Institute for Globalization, told the state-run media Global Times (GT), "Some rare minerals have dual uses for military and civilian purposes, so they are related to security," emphasizing, "Export controls are necessary not only for China's national security but also to fulfill international responsibilities." GT added, "Export controls do not mean a complete export ban, except in cases that meet certain requirements."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.