Tracking China's Ban on Germanium Metal Exports

What has been the effect of China’s export licensing requirements and ban on germanium metal exports to the United States?

China’s export controls on germanium have upended the global supply of this critical mineral that is used in applications such as fiber optics and semiconductors. Silverado’s new infographic examines the trends in China’s exports of germanium metal following China’s export licensing requirements (effective as of August 2023) and ban on exports to the United States (December 2024).

Our key findings:

• China has not reported any exports of germanium metal directly to the United States since export controls went into effect on August 1, 2023. Silverado’s forthcoming dashboard on U.S. germanium imports does show some imports of germanium metal from China during this time period, though at much lower levels than before the export controls went into effect.
• China’s global exports of germanium metal have fallen significantly since the ban on exports to the United States went into effect in December 2024, including to economies such as the European Union.
• The export licensing requirements in August 2023 had impacts beyond the United States (e.g., germanium metal exports to Japan were more sporadic after the implementation of these export controls).