China's export of gallium and germanium-related items saw a significant increase from January to July 2023, reaching $696 million, which is a 17.3% year-on-year growth. In July alone, the export value reached $121 million, marking a 22.7% year-on-year increase and a 12.1% month-on-month increase. These statistics are based on recent data released by the General Administration of Customs of China.
In 2022, the total export and import of gallium and germanium-related items in China amounted to $1.037 billion and $610 million, respectively, resulting in a trade surplus of $427 million. Over the period of 2020 to 2022, the export value of these items showed steady growth with a compound growth rate of 6.77%. However, in 2023, the growth rate experienced a significant boost.
During the first seven months of 2023, China primarily exported gallium and germanium-related items to countries and regions such as South Korea, Japan, India, the United States, Germany, Russia, France, Austria, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Particularly, South Korea accounted for 30% of China's total exports, exhibiting a remarkable year-on-year increase of 122.3%. Notably, exports to the United States, Russia, and Austria also witnessed substantial growth, with exports to Austria increasing by over 22 times compared to the previous year. Conversely, exports to Japan and India saw a significant decline year-on-year during this period.
Among the provinces in China, the main contributors to the export of gallium and germanium-related items from January to July 2023 were Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong, Beijing, Zhejiang, Hunan, Liaoning, Anhui, and Jiangxi, accounting for 88.5% of the total export value. Only Jiangsu and Anhui experienced a year-on-year decrease in export value among all the regions, whereas Fujian witnessed a notable increase of 129.4% during the same period.
To regulate the export of gallium and germanium, China has imposed export restrictions, requiring Chinese exporters to obtain permits starting from the beginning of August. This move was announced by China's Ministry of Commerce and Administration of Customs on July 3rd.
