China announced Tuesday it is banning exports to the United States of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications, as a general principle, lashing back at U.S. limits on semiconductor-related exports.
The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced the move after the Washington expanded its list of Chinese companies subject to export controls on computer chip-making equipment, software and high-bandwidth memory chips. Such chips are needed for advanced applications.
The ratcheting up of trade restrictions comes as President-elect Donald Trump has been threatening to sharply raise tariffs on imports from China and other countries, potentially intensifyi
The previous article says: "The largest global producers of gallium are Russia, Germany, Australia, and France. "
Ok, looking at this: https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/energie/china-seltene-metalle-100.html
I can see that the reason China became this huge producer is because everyone else decided to stop and by from them instead, though that doesn’t mean they can only rely on China for it.
But indeed it is now the largest gallium and germanium producer.
And Gallium is combined to make late-factorio stuff, so him who controls the Gallium, controls the future.
That’s how we’re saying ‘high-tech’ now?
…fine, I dig it