The commercial tension between China and the United States has only intensified in recent times. Last year we witnessed firsthand how Washington promoted export controls on cutting-edge hardware in artificial intelligence (AI), while Beijing did the same with critical materials such as gallium, germanium and antimony.
Everything indicates that 2025 will not be the year in which these two powers bury the hatchet, at least at this moment. As Bloomberg reports, the Asian giant has set out to strengthen its leadership in the battery and electric car production sector. Part of its strategy to achieve this involves activating new export controls.
A 2025 with new Chinese export controls
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce wants to add to the catalog of prohibited elements for the manufacture of battery components and the processing of materials such as lithium and gallium. The proposal, which has yet to be approved, includes other chemical compounds used in the manufacture of elemental cathodes for electric car batteries.
The official note explains that the purpose of the measures is to “strengthen the management of the import and export of technology.” According to some experts consulted by Reuters, this measure could become an obstacle for some Western battery manufacturers that use proven Chinese technologies as a key part of their business.
We will have to wait to know if this measure ends up materializing during the year. An important point to take into account is the change of administration of the US government. Donald Trump He will take office as president of the United States on January 20, and, despite his comments, it is unclear what his relationship with China will be like during this term.
China leads the global market for key materials such as gallium, a soft metal essential for making radio frequency chips used in mobile phones and satellite communications, and lithium, ubiquitous in our daily lives thanks to its role in smartphone, laptop and car batteries. electrical.
Images | Dominic Kurniawan Suryaputra | Priscilla Du Preez
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