China has lifted a nearly year-long ban on exports of gallium, germanium and antimony to the United States over the weekend, marking a further de-escalation of trade tensions between the world's two largest economies.
The Chinese commerce ministry said on Sunday it will pause its export ban on these minerals and related end-use items for about one year, until 27 November 2026.
The ban was first imposed in December 2024 in retaliation for U.S. export controls on high-bandwidth memory chips into China towards the end of the Biden administration.
The U.S. considers all three minerals critical to its national security and economy.
Gallium and germanium are both essential for semiconductors - the former is also used in advanced radar technology and the latter in infrared technology, fibre optic cables and solar cells.
And antimony is widely used in military applications such as flame retardants and primers for ammunition.
China dominates the production and refinement of these materials. According to consultancy Project Blue, China accounted for almost half of the world's mined antimony in 2023, nearly 60% of global refined germanium production and 99% of refined gallium output.
This near-monopoly has left the U.S. and its allies scrambling for alternative supply sources.
Read more: Mission Critical: China truce a false sense of mineral security
The December 2024 ban had forced U.S. firms to stockpile materials and seek suppliers in Europe and Southeast Asia, though China's technological edge in gallium extraction particularly made substitution difficult.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the ban on gallium and germanium alone could result in a US$3.4 billion hit to the U.S. economy. Around half of the decrease would come from the semiconductor sector - a key battleground between China and the U.S.
In its statement, the Chinese commerce ministry said the suspension of its 2024 export curbs will take place until 27 November 2026, without providing further details.
The announcement comes just days after China agreed to suspend the additional export controls introduced in early October on rare earths and other battery minerals for one year, following a meeting between Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump that saw both sides agree to reduce tariffs and pause other trade measures.
