China’s gallium grip looms over Trump’s Beijing visit as critical deadline nears
China’s ban on exports of the vital metal could kick in again in November – and the US still has no realistic alternative supplier
As US President Donald Trump prepares for a possible visit to China in April, analysts say that one issue is likely to “cast a shadow” over his looming negotiations with Beijing: America’s need to maintain access to supplies of gallium and other strategic resources.
As with other crucial raw materials, such as heavy rare earths, China still holds a dominant position in the global market for gallium – a metal that is widely used in a range of hi-tech industries, from semiconductors to solar cells and electric cars.
China accounts for nearly 99 per cent of global primary production of gallium, according to a report by the mining firm Cerro de Pasco Resources. The US sources 100 per cent of its gallium from overseas, with about 95 per cent of those imports coming from China, according to Minerals Make Life, a project run by the US National Mining Association.
But the country’s export control regime remained in place, and the suspension is timed to expire on November 27 – meaning the ban would theoretically kick in once again after that date.