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Ji Siqi

China will impose additional export restrictions on selected graphite products from December to safeguard national security, in the latest move to control the supply of critical raw materials amid rising tensions with the United States.
Graphite has been widely used for making batteries, fuel cells and lubricants for the machinery, petrochemical, defence and aerospace sectors.
Demand has risen in recent years as it is a raw material used for electric vehicle batteries.
China is the primary source and producer of natural graphite, producing an estimated 65 per cent of total world supplies in 2022, according to the US Geological Survey.
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The nine items covered by the new restrictions include three types of high-purity, high-strength and high-density artificial graphite and its products, as well as six types of natural flake graphite and related products, according to the notice.
China will require exporters to apply for permits starting from December 1, the country’s commerce ministry and customs authorities said on Friday
Chinese customs data showed the US, South Korea, Japan, Poland and India are among the top importers.
The latest restrictions are an updated and optimised version of temporary export controls imposed on seven graphite-related products since 2006, five of which have been removed under the new rules due to their low sensitivity, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
It is a common international practice to impose export controls on specific graphite items
Ministry of Commerce
“It is a common international practice to impose export controls on specific graphite items. As the world’s largest graphite producer and exporter, China has long been firmly fulfilling its international obligations, such as non-proliferation,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Based on the need to safeguard national security and interests, China has implemented export controls on specific graphite items in accordance with the law, and implemented temporary controls on some graphite items.”
The renewed assessment will help China fulfil its international obligations on non-proliferation and safeguard national security and interests, while also ensuring the stability of the global supply chain, the ministry added.


“China’s normal adjustment of export controls does not target any specific country or region, and exports that comply with relevant regulations will be permitted,” the statement said.
The importance of graphite has been on the rise amid a global push to move away from fossil fuels, with the European Union listing natural graphite as a critical raw material in 2020. The US also considers it to be a critical and strategic mineral.
As a major global producer, China has tightened its grip on the export of critical minerals as tech restrictions from Washington and its allies – especially on the semiconductor sector – continue to escalate.
Earlier this week, the US imposed an export ban on China-specific Nvidia and Intel graphic processing units (GPUs), while it also blacklisted two top Chinese GPU start-ups. The curbs would undercut China’s frenzied artificial intelligence drive by denying it access to the semiconductors used to train algorithms.
This is just the beginning of China’s countermeasures, and China’s toolbox has many more types of measures available
Wei Jianguo
In July, Beijing announced export controls on gallium and germanium, two important materials used in semiconductor manufacturing and over which China holds a quasi-monopoly.
Exports of the two critical metals and related products had surged before the controls went into effect in August, but have fallen in recent months.
Former vice-minister of commerce Wei Jianguo said in an interview with the China Daily in July that “this is just the beginning of China’s countermeasures, and China’s toolbox has many more types of measures available”.
“If the hi-tech restrictions on China become tougher in the future, China’s countermeasures will also escalate,” added Wei, who is now chairman of the state-backed China Centre for International Economic Exchanges think tank.


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Demand has risen in recent years as a raw material for electric vehicle batteries, with China the primary source and producer of natural graphite
China will require exporters to apply for permits starting from December 1, with the US, South Korea and Japan among the top importers


China is the primary source and producer of natural graphite, with the US, South Korea and Japan among the top importers amid rising demand as a raw material for electric vehicle batteries.


China economy

Trade

Electric & new energy vehicles

China exports

China ups export curbs on key EV battery component, safeguarding graphite amid US tensions

Demand has risen in recent years as a raw material for electric vehicle batteries, with China the primary source and producer of natural graphite China will require exporters to apply for permits starting from December 1, with the US, South Korea and Japan among the top importers

Demand has risen in recent years as a raw material for electric vehicle batteries, with China the primary source and producer of natural graphite

China will require exporters to apply for permits starting from December 1, with the US, South Korea and Japan among the top importers