The latest customs data from Beijing shows exports of both critical materials collapsed in April, with gallium shipments reduced to just 3 kilograms and germanium to virtually zero.
China exported just 3 kilograms of gallium in April, all of which went to Malaysia. No other country received any shipments. The figure marks a collapse of more than 99 percent compared to both the previous month, when 5,350 kilograms were exported, and the same month a year earlier, when shipments totaled 4,777 kilograms.
Chinese gallium exports over the last twelve months
Germanium exports were similarly negligible. Germany and Japan each received less than one kilogram, with no other destinations recorded. The figures are all the more striking given that April 2025 was already a historically weak month for germanium, with exports falling 93 percent month-on-month to just 98 kilograms. Even against that low baseline, April 2026 represents a further near-total collapse.
Chinese germanium exports over the last twelve months
The drop also reverses what had appeared to be a partial recovery in March, when germanium exports rebounded to 998 kilograms and gallium shipments held steady at 5,320 kilograms.
Whether the April figures reflect deliberate policy tightening by Beijing, licensing bottlenecks, or a temporary disruption remains unclear. China has previously used its dominant position in both metals to apply geopolitical pressure, cutting Japan off from gallium supplies earlier this year and formally banning exports to the United States in December 2024, which it later lifted.
Both gallium and germanium are critical inputs for semiconductors, fiber optics, photovoltaics, and defense systems. China controls the vast majority of global production and refining capacity, and has maintained strict export licensing requirements on both materials since the summer of 2023.
Photo: Sanches812 via Canva
