China has banned the export of high-tech and military materials to the United States. This comes after US President Joe Bidenʼs administration tightened technology restrictions on Beijing.
This is reported by Bloomberg.
Chinaʼs Ministry of Commerce has announced that gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard materials will no longer be supplied to the United States. Beijing will also strengthen control over the sale of graphite.
These materials are used in the production of semiconductors, satellites, night vision goggles and many other devices.
Bloomberg believes this is Chinaʼs response to Washingtonʼs ban on the sale of high-bandwidth memory chips made by American and foreign companies to China. The goal is to slow Chinaʼs development of advanced semiconductors and artificial intelligence systems that could be used by the military.
China is the worldʼs main supplier of dozens of the most important minerals. Therefore, the US is worried about its dominance — China established control over the export of gallium and germanium last year. Because of this, there was a jump in prices, which turned trade flows. American manufacturers were forced to look for alternative supplies, and miners to develop new deposits.
"We urge the US side to do more things to help stabilize bilateral relations, and hope that the new administration will take a good first step in China-US cooperation in the next four years," said Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
In recent years, trade tensions between China and the United States have been increasing. It is expressed in mutual tariffs, restrictions on imports and exports, as well as in the competition for technological leadership. Both Beijing and Washington actively influence international trade, so their bilateral restrictions affect other countries as well.
At the same time, tensions are increasing due to differences in geopolitical interests. One of the key issues is Taiwan. China threatens to "take back" Taiwan, which is a US ally. The ruling Communist Party considers Taiwan part of its territory. From 2022, Beijing increasingly promises to "reunite" the island with mainland China. The US President Joe Biden said that the US would defend Taiwan if it was attacked.
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