中國禁止向美國出口鎵、鍺、銻以應對晶片製裁 (2/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

China bans exports to US of gallium, germanium, antimony in response to chip sanctions (2/2)

 AP - Elaine Kurtenbach

Tue, December 3, 2024 at 8:13 p.m. GMT+8·4 min read

(continue)

After the U.S. side announced it was adding 140 companies to a so-called “entity list” subject to strict export controls, China’s Commerce Ministry protested and said it would act to protect China’s “rights and interests.” Nearly all of the companies affected by Washington's latest trade restrictions are based in China, though some are Chinese-owned businesses in Japan, South Korea and Singapore.

Both governments say their respective export controls are needed for national security.

China's government has been frustrated by U.S. curbs on access to advanced processor chips and other technology on security grounds but had been cautious in retaliating, possibly to avoid disrupting China’s fledgling developers of chips, artificial intelligence and other technology.

Various Chinese industry associations issued statements protesting the U.S. move to limit access to advanced chip-making technology.

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said it opposed using national security as a grounds for export controls, “abuse of export control measures, and the malicious blockade and suppression of China.”

“Such behavior seriously violates the laws of the market economy and the principle of fair competition, undermines the international economic and trade order, disrupts the stability of the global industrial chain, and ultimately harms the interests of all countries,” it said in a statement.

The China Semiconductor Industry Association issued a similar statement, adding that such restrictions were disrupting supply chains and inflating costs for American companies.

“U.S. chip products are no longer safe and reliable. China’s related industries will have to be cautious in purchasing U.S. chips,” it said.

The U.S. gets about half its supply of both gallium and germanium metals directly from China, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. China exported about 23 metric tons (25 tons) of gallium in 2022 and produces about 600 metric tons (660 tons) of germanium per year.

The U.S. has deposits of such minerals but has not been mining them, though some projects underway are exploring ways to tap those resources.

The export restrictions have had a mixed impact on prices for those critical minerals, with the price of antimony more than doubling this year to over $25,000 per ton. Prices for gallium, germanium and graphite also have mostly risen.

Translation

中國禁止向美國出口鎵、鍺、銻以應對晶片製裁 (2/2)

（繼續）

美方宣布將140家企業列入受嚴格出口管制的所謂「實體清單」後，中國商務部提出抗議，並表示將採取行動保護中國的「權益」。幾乎所有受到華盛頓最新貿易限制影響的公司都位於中國，儘管其中一些是日本、韓國和新加坡的中資企業。

兩國政府均表示，為了自身國家安全，需要實施出口管制。

中國政府對美國出於安全原因限制先進處理器晶片和其他技術的取得感到沮喪，但在報復方面一直持謹慎態度，可能是為了避免擾亂中國剛起步的晶片、人工智能和其他技術開發商。

中國多個行業協會發表聲明，抗議美國限制先進晶片製造技術的舉動。

中國汽車工業協會表示，反對以國家安全為理由實施出口管制，「濫用出口管制措施，惡意封鎖打壓中國」。

它在一份聲明中說: 「這種行為嚴重違反市場經濟法則和公平競爭原則，破壞國際經貿秩序，擾亂全球產業鏈穩定，最終損害各國利益」。

中國半導體行業協會 也發表了類似聲明，並補充說，此類限制正在擾亂供應鏈並增加美國公司的成本。

它說:“美國晶片產品不再安全可靠。中國相關產業在購買美國晶片時必須謹慎。”

根據美國地質調查局的數據，美國約一半的鎵和鍺金屬供應直接來自中國。 2022年，中國出口了約23公噸（25噸）鎵，每年生產約600公噸（660噸）鍺。

美國擁有此類礦藏，但尚未開採，儘管一些正在進行的項目正在探索開採這些資源的方法。

出口限制對這些關鍵礦物的價格產生了複雜的影響，今年銻的價格翻了一倍多，達到每噸 25,000 美元以上。鎵、鍺和石墨的價格也大多上漲。

So, China announces that it is banning exports of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials to the United States that have potential military applications. My feeling is that the banning is gesture for China to show its anger and would not affect the US very much.