China bans sale of three critical elements and ‘superhard materials’ to the US
By 
Rebecca Trager2024-12-05T14:30:00
Export bans on gallium, germanium and antimony could hit semiconductor and weapons manufacturers hard
The Chinese government has banned the export of critical minerals to the US that are crucial for the manufacture of semiconductors, military equipment and in other industries. The critical elements include gallium, germanium, antimony and ‘superhard materials’ such as diamond and cubic boron nitride, and other related materials.
The 3 December announcement by China’s Ministry of Commerce appears to be in response to new US restrictions on exports of certain semiconductor equipment to China, which were announced by the US Commerce Department the previous day.