China to restrict critical antimony exports as geopolitical tensions target weapons
- China’s antimony ore production accounted for nearly half of the world’s total last year, and the US has been a big buyer in recent years
Looking to tighten its grip on the global flow of critical materials amid rising tensions with Washington, Beijing will impose export controls on rare antimony metals, ores and oxides, as well as equipment for processing superhard materials like diamonds.
In an online statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs said the move, effective September 15, will help China defend its national security and also fulfil its non-proliferation obligations.
Analysts and experts see the move as a countermeasure to US sanctions on chips and other technologies by making it harder to produce weapons, as antimony is critical in making military equipment. As a major global producer, China has tightened its grip on the export of critical minerals as tech restrictions from Washington – especially on the semiconductor sector – continue to escalate under the “small yard, high fence” strategy imposed by the administration of US President Joe Biden.
Fu Qianshao, a retired PLA Air Force equipment specialist, said the move was clearly intended to make it harder for the US to produce weapons of war.
“The move is definitely a decision made after careful consideration, and it has a clear purpose – by restricting exports, it will undoubtedly impact the world’s major arms manufacturers, especially the US,” Fu said.
China has military technology that they can weaponise
Fu said the US arms industry relies heavily on antimony, which is indispensable in the production of a large amount of military equipment.
