"China's 'Mineral Export Controls' Affect 1,000 US Military Weapon Systems"

China has decided to ban exports of key Chinese minerals as retaliation against additional U.S. semiconductor sanctions, and it is analyzed that more than 1,000 U.S. military weapon systems will be affected.

According to 'Govini,' a U.S. military data analysis firm, on the 18th, the export controls on Chinese gallium, germanium, antimony, and other dual-use civilian and military items to the U.S. are expected to impact more than 20,000 parts used by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Coast Guard.

The weapon systems using these minerals amount to 501 for the U.S. Navy, 267 for the Army, 193 for the Air Force, 113 for the Marine Corps, and 1 for the Coast Guard, totaling 1,175.

Earlier, China retaliated by banning exports of four rare metals?Chinese gallium, germanium, antimony, and graphite?to the U.S. after the U.S. Department of Commerce added high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a core component of artificial intelligence (AI) chips, to the export control list targeting China earlier this month.

The Navy is expected to be the most affected due to weapon systems applied to key destroyers such as the Arleigh Burke-class ships and the super-large America-class amphibious assault ships. Among the 12,486 supply chains supporting these weapon systems, 87% (10,829) rely on Chinese companies.

The report pointed out, "If imports of key minerals widely used in both civilian and military sectors?such as bullets, cables, infrared technology, electric vehicle batteries, and nuclear missiles?are restricted, accurate demand forecasting will be necessary for sustainable long-term operations."