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Topics: China, Technology, US News
Ellie Kemp
Topics: China, Technology, US News
China has just cost the US around $34,000,000,000 every decade after making a major rare mineral decision.
The country has banned all shipments of gallium and germanium, among other materials, to the United States.
The Chinese Commerce Ministry declared earlier this week: "In principle, the export of gallium, germanium, antimony, and superhard materials to the United States shall not be permitted," citing 'national security' concerns as a reason for the ban.
The move continues to escalate tensions between the two countries as China attempts to counter US policies that curb Chinese tech advancements.
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China are world-leading producers of these materials, accounting for 94 per cent of gallium and 83 per cent of germanium globally.
Russia is the second-largest producer of gallium.
Antimony will also be banned, while the export of graphite will now be subject to greater scrutiny.
Gallium and germanium are primarily used in semiconductors - the tiny components help power almost all our modern-day electronics, including smartphones and computers.
Germanium is also used for fiber optic cables, solar cells and infrared technology, while antimony is a key material in bullet manufacturing and other weaponry.
Atimony, meanwhile, helps to harden alloys for use in lead–acid batteries, which are used in emergency lighting and electrical vehicle batteries.
Graphite could also be affected, which is a major component in electric vehicle batteries.
Reduced access to these materials could slow down production, increase costs and disrupt supply chains.
A report earlier this year from the US Geological Survey projected the impact China banning both gallium and germanium at once could have on the on the US' gross domestic product.
That's the measure of the size and health of a country's economy over a period of time - usually a year.
The results indicated that a complete restriction of China’s net exports of gallium and germanium simultaneously could cause the US GDP to decrease $3.4 billion a year.
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That works out at a $34 billion loss over the course of a decade, dealing a pretty big blow to the country's economy.
And that's just measuring the ban on gallium and germanium - the figure could be even larger taking antimony and superhard materials into account.
Nedal Nassar, lead author of Quantifying Potential Effects of China’s Gallium and Germanium Export Restrictions on the U.S. Economy, said of the model: "We do account for currently available production capacity outside of China and the short-term substitution potential. Our model projects the impacts in the near term and in many cases developing new supply sources or substitute materials takes far longer."