Photo: News Front
China has announced the launch of a special campaign to combat the smuggling of strategic minerals in response to attempts by foreign companies to circumvent new export restrictions. This was announced by the Ministry of Commerce of China at a conference in Shenzhen, Reuters reports.
After Beijing restricted exports of key metals – including gallium, germanium, antimony, tungsten and rare earths – some external players began to cooperate with local criminal groups to circumvent the bans, according to an official statement.
The Chinese authorities have instructed the relevant services to counter typical schemes, from false declarations and caches to transit through third countries. In Hong Kong, for example, a shipment of antimony ingots was seized in March without explanation but with reference to controlled export regulations.
According to Chinese customs data, after September 2024, antimon supplies almost stopped. In 2025, only one export was recorded – 20 tonnes to Japan.
China’s initiative coincided with preparations for a key meeting between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, trade negotiator Jamieson Greer and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. The talks are due to take place over the weekend in Switzerland and could mark a new stage in trade relations between the two economic giants.
