https://theoregongroup.substack.com/
China announces new export controls on tungsten, critical to modern technology
China has announced new export controls on 25 rare metals, including tungsten, in retaliation to a new 10% tariff by Trump on all US imports from China. The problem: China dominates global tungsten supply — accounting for more than 80% of the world’s mining and processing in 2023, as well as 58% of the world’s reserves at 2.3 million metric tons.
However, China’s dominance is increasingly seen as a strategic vulnerability by the US, EU and Japan amid escalating geopolitical tensions.
What is tungsten
Tungsten is known as one of the strongest-known naturally-occurring materials and is critical across modern technology, from smart phones to hypersonic missiles.
It is listed as a critical mineral in the US, EU, China, UK, Australia, Japan and others for good reason:
-military: accounting for an estimated 12% of demand, with the highest melting-point of any metal, tungsten is essential across a range of military applications, including armour-piercing munitions, tank armour, and missiles
-technology: tungsten is crucial in the efficiency and durability of solar panels, semiconductors, robotics, and potentially even for the walls of nuclear fusion reactors due to its capacity to withstand extreme heat and radiation
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