In response to chip export restrictions from the US and Europe, China has retaliated by imposing export controls on two essential semiconductor manufacturing elements, gallium and germanium, adding another dimension to the ongoing global battle over chipmaking technology control.

  • China has announced export controls on two rare elements, gallium and germanium, which are essential for semiconductor manufacturing. This move is in response to the US and Europe restricting chip exports to China.
  • Starting August 1, exporters of these raw materials will require special permission from the state to ship them out of the country, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce.
  • Both gallium and germanium are used in several products, including computer chips and solar panels, and are listed as critical raw materials by the European Union. China is the world’s largest gallium producer and a significant producer and exporter of germanium.
  • The Dutch government recently imposed new restrictions on exports of some semiconductor equipment, provoking a harsh reaction from Beijing. Consequently, ASML, Europe’s largest tech firm, will need to apply for export licenses for products used to manufacture microchips.
  • Japan, the US, and Italy have also taken measures to restrict Chinese companies’ access to chips and chipmaking equipment. This has been seen as an attempt to limit the Chinese government’s access to sensitive chip technology.
  • The new policy was interpreted as retaliation by a state-owned newspaper, China Daily, which suggested that critics should question why the US and the Netherlands have taken similar actions against China.
  • China’s announcement comes just before US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s visit to Beijing from July 6 to July 9, where she will meet with senior Communist Party officials.
  • @Determinator
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    2711 months ago

    Yea this was a pretty inevitable response. Petty as fuck with the timing but expected, will be interesting to see how it impacts US/EU manufacturing.

  • @[email protected]
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    1111 months ago

    Are there good companies where it may be a good time to invest now? I’m sure some companies in US may profit from that?

  • FartsWithAnAccent
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    11 months ago

    What a shocking turn of events!

    Wait, no, what’s the opposite of shocking?

    • @[email protected]
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      411 months ago

      I knew it wouldn’t be water or oil first, but I was expecting lithium, not gallium and germanium

  • Hellsadvocate
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    11 months ago

    As a guess I expect 10-30% price increases on GPUs considering the ongoing semiconductor shortage already…

    • tal
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      111 months ago

      “This is good for Bitcoin.”

  • @[email protected]
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    -1611 months ago

    Totally justified move from China. Colonial powers think that we’re still on 1800 and they can just extract our resources without any technological transfer.

    • @[email protected]
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      1011 months ago

      Do you realize that justifying current behavior with something happened more than 2 centuries ago it’s just propaganda, right?

      • @[email protected]
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        11 months ago

        Do you really think that the colonial mindset of the US and European governments just went away after the decolonization process of the 60’s and 70’s? (yes, maybe you didn’t knew, but there were still legitimate colonies until 70 years ago, not 200 years). The United States still refers as latinamerica as “their backyard” and is still messing with the countries that dosen’t just follow their orders as ghey want.

        • @thebestaquaman
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          011 months ago

          Do you really think the colonial mindset went away

          Well, considering the previous colonial powers decided to no longer be colonial powers while they were still in a position to do pretty much whatever they wanted: Yes. Their mindset changed. That’s why they gave up the colonies, not because they suddenly became incapable of holding them.

          • @[email protected]
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            11 months ago

            Lmao, this is “white people on all its wisdom decided to give freedom to the slaves” level of thinking.

            If they decided to left the colonies were not because they had a change of heart, but because the situation was unsustainable and they were just spending the extracted resources on military actions to keep the population on line (in conjunction with their own population that could see how fucked up the situation was an pressed the government to left them go).

            And they didn’t left their colonies on their own, they moved to a neo colonialism system, where a local elite exploit the resources in behalf of the colonial power.

            • @thebestaquaman
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              011 months ago

              In conjunction with their own population that could see how fucked up the situation was and pressed the government to let them go

              This is exactly the change of mindset I’m referring to.

              Also: The push against slavery was, in fact, largely made by white elites that could see how fucked up slavery was. Not because they were smarter, more kind or anything than the slaves themselves, but because slaves in all societies for thousands of years have tried to end slavery and failed. For the institutional move to ban slavery to succeed, support from the ruling elites was necessary. So yes, slavery was successfully abolished because certain people had a change of heart.

      • @Historical_General
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        11 months ago

        You wouldn’t say this about any other peoples, strange you say it about them just because their government has managed the economy somewhat competently (with a favourable relationship with old adversaries).

        Idk if I’d class this as propaganda, but propaganda doesn’t have to be based on lies as I’m sure you know.

    • Yewb
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      911 months ago

      Like china in every country on the planet right now?

    • Eggyhead
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      511 months ago

      You say this as if China isn’t a colonial power themselves.

    • Enttropy
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      311 months ago

      Oh, but look at those petty downvotes you fished.

      A similar thing was happening with Americans and Spaniards/Germans extracting oil from Mexico, just so the Mexicans bought it back from them, despite Mexico having the technology and infrastructure to do it all themselves.

      After all the military grade weapons that the Obama administration sponsored to the Narcos back in 2012, and Trump’s racism campaign, the current Mexican president took back the oil extraction and refinery industries and and nationalized them, which got a lot of people mad, especially the American press, like The NY Times which constantly publishes articles depicting Mexico as a dictatorship paradise on its way to become the next USSR.

      And now look how the Mexican “super” peso is doing…