What’s happened?
China announced last week that it is introducing tough new restrictions on the export of two rare metals – gallium and germanium – used in the manufacture of semiconductors, electric vehicles (EVs) and fibre-optic cables. The move was seen as a warning shot to the US – and there could soon be more where that came from, according to an influential trade policy adviser, Wei Jianguo. The former government minister told the China Daily newspaper that if countries continue to pressure China – by implementing controls on semiconductor exports, for example – they should expect more
