China’s export controls
China is currently the world’s biggest exporter, with a trade surplus above $1 trillion. The country uses this dominance to flex its global power, imposing export controls to gain favorable outcomes. In the past two years, China has imposed export controls on critical minerals such as gallium, germanium, graphite, rare earths, and even silver. Beijing claims these curbs are meant to protect its technological edge, but independent experts often see them as an attempt to gain geopolitical leverage over Western powers, especially the US.
