Beijing, Aug. 1, (dpa/GNA) – Controls on the export from China of the key metals gallium and germanium went into force on Tuesday in line with an announcement last month by the Trade Ministry in Beijing.
The controls are aimed at protecting national security, the ministry said.
A spokeswoman for the European Commission repeated the commission’s view that the restrictions were not related to security. “We have insisted that these export controls are unrelated to security considerations,” she said.
The commission was working on an analysis to assess the potential impact, she said, describing the two metals as “critical to both the green and industrial digital transition.”
Gallium and germanium are both on an EU list of 34 critical raw materials. These materials are essential for sectors such as microchip production and for manufacturing products related to renewable energy and environmentally friendly transport.
China is the main producer of gallium and germanium. The announcement of restrictions on their export has been seen by observers as a warning to the United States, which has for some time restricted the export of advanced microchips to China.
It remains to be seen whether the Chinese authorities will in fact block exports.
When the measures were announced last month, the commission said it would investigate whether they contravened World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
The Dutch government announced at the end of June that it was restricting the export to China of high-tech machinery used in the manufacture of microchips, justifying the move on the grounds of national security. The decision came in response to pressure from the US.
GNA