Latest customs data from Beijing reveals a dramatic collapse in Chinese exports of both critical metals.
China exported just three kilograms of gallium in April, all of which went to Malaysia. In March, exports had still stood at 5,350 kilograms, according to current statistics from China's customs authority, a decline of more than 99 per cent. The year-on-year comparison is equally striking: in April 2025, China had shipped 4,777 kilograms of gallium.
Germanium exports were even weaker. Germany and Japan each received less than one kilogram in April, with no other destinations recorded. This is particularly notable given how low the bar already was: in April 2025, germanium exports had already fallen sharply, down 93 per cent month-on-month to just 98 kilograms. The latest figures mark a new low, even against that depressed baseline.
The development also brings to an end the modest recovery that had previously appeared to be taking shape. In March, germanium exports had climbed back to 998 kilograms.
Dr Christian Hell, Senior Manager for Germanium and Minor Metals at TRADIUM, is almost at a loss for words: "Zero exports of germanium, what can you say. We had expected China to at least resume shipping small volumes. Instead, it seems things can still go lower. For many buyers outside China, securing raw material supply is becoming genuinely difficult. Anyone who has relied on these shipments so far should be looking for alternatives, if they haven't already. What's also remarkable is that this trade strategy not only hurts foreign customers; it also harms Chinese producers, who are losing important sales outlets. The critical question is how long Beijing is willing to pay that price. And the picture for gallium is hardly any better. When even Germany, which had until now been supplied relatively reliably, comes away empty-handed, that is a clear signal."
Development of gallium exports in recent months
Development of germanium exports in recent months
The drivers behind this development remain unclear
Whether April's collapse signals a deliberate tightening of China's export policy remains an open question. Delays or bottlenecks in the granting of export licences are equally plausible. China has repeatedly leveraged its dominant position in both metals as a geopolitical tool: earlier this year, Beijing cut gallium supplies to Japan, and in December 2024, exports to the United States were banned outright, a ban that was subsequently lifted.
Gallium and germanium are critical inputs for semiconductors, fibre-optic technology, photovoltaics, and defence applications. China controls a large share of global refining capacity for both metals and has imposed strict export controls on them since the summer of 2023. When those controls first came into force, exports fell to zero for the first time: in August and September 2023, not a single kilogram left the country.
