Think China has so far only banned Germanium and Gallium.
To quote
"
Export controls will be short-term disruptive to both gallium and germanium markets but Western countries should be able to adapt over time.
The big question, however, is what might come next.
GALLIUM AND GERMANIUM
Both gallium and germanium are extremely rare metals and are derived only as by-products from the aluminium and zinc processing streams respectively.
China's supply-chain dominance results from the country's status as the world's largest producer of aluminium and refined zinc.
Indeed its alumina refineries, which process bauxite into an aluminium smelting input, are required by the Chinese government to extract gallium.
China last year accounted for around 98% of the world's production of low-grade primary gallium, the core feed-stock for the gallium supply chain, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Exports last year were 94 metric tonnes, up 25% on 2021.
China's control of the germanium supply chain is looser but still significant at around 60% of the global market, according to European industry association Critical Raw Materials Alliance (CRMA). Last year's exports totaled 44 metric tonnes in both wrought and unwrought form."
IMO, If they hit up what we think of as rare earths next, Australia will go on a mega boom, but it will take time.
i.e.
"
The warning raises the prospect of further escalation in the simmering critical minerals war between the West and China.
China has no shortage of pressure points to push, from rare earths to cobalt to lithium and even electric vehicle batteries.
The sabre-rattling, though, is likely to inject a greater sense of urgency in the West about cutting the collective reliance on China for so many critical metals.
The global decoupling momentum will accelerate from the start of next month."
AS2 Price at posting:
27.0¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
