Media: The price of "defense metal" germanium hits record highs after China restricts exports
The Financial Times wrote that the price of germanium, widely used in defense industries, has reached a record high of at least 14 years due to China's restrictions on exports.
In the summer of 2023, China imposed export controls on germanium and gallium provided to foreign countries, and later in 2024, it banned the export of gallium, germanium, and antimony widely used in military applications to the United States.
The newspaper quoted intermediaries and pricing agencies, stating, "China has imposed export controls on germanium, a metal crucial to the defense industry, leading to extreme supply shortages and pushing prices to the highest level in at least 14 years."
The newspaper quoted the pricing agency Fastmarkets, stating that the price of germanium rose to $5,000 per kilogram last Wednesday, compared to just over $1,000 at the beginning of 2023. Meanwhile, the price in September was the highest ever recorded since 2011.
The report stated that China leads in the production of germanium, a metal essential for night vision thermal imaging systems used in military technology, including fighter jets. It mentioned that companies typically do not have large reserves of this metal.
According to data from the U.S. think tank "Silverado Policy Accelerator" cited by the newspaper, the supply of germanium from China to the United States from January to July decreased by approximately 40% year-on-year.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843356292428811/
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