# China Retains Gallium Export Curbs Ahead of Nov. 27 Deadline *The looming expiration of Beijing's export waiver leaves American military radar suppliers and power electronics manufacturers exposed to immediate raw material shortages.* **Published:** November 4, 2026 **By:** Wei Zhang **Section:** Semiconductors & AI Hardware — China **Format:** Policy Tracker **Confidence:** high **Source:** https://eastasiabrief.com/semiconductors/china-retains-gallium-export-curbs-ahead-nov-27-deadline-1111 **Publisher:** East Asia Brief (https://eastasiabrief.com/) --- ## What to know - China dual-use gallium export waiver expires Nov. 27 - China controls 99% of global primary low-purity gallium supply - MOFCOM holds next formal administrative session Nov. 14 ![A technician in a lab coat tests processed material beside industrial refining tanks and stacked ingots inside a chemical facility. (AI-generated image)](https://eastasiabrief.com/media/2026-11-03-3734c21de445.webp) *A technician in a lab coat tests processed material beside industrial refining tanks and stacked ingots inside a chemical facility. (AI-generated image)* China's Ministry of Commerce left Western defense contractors facing an unextended Nov. 27 deadline on Nov. 2, issuing no decree to prolong its temporary suspension of dual-use gallium export curbs. China controls 99% of global primary low-purity gallium output, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The critical metal serves as the primary chemical building block for advanced military radar systems and high-voltage naval power modules. Beijing temporarily suspended its export ban on dual-use gallium under Announcement No. 72 in November 2025. That suspension expires Nov. 27, 2026, threatening to revive a presumption of denial for American buyers. The 2025 directive paused Article 2 of Announcement No. 46, which blocked shipments to the United States. However, the ministry kept Article 1 in full force, barring sales to military end users. Western defense manufacturers have relied on civilian compound semiconductor processors in allied nations to secure material. The approaching deadline threatens those indirect channels, trade compliance lawyers said. Over 11,000 U.S. defense equipment components require gallium, according to congressional defense reviews. The element enables gallium nitride and gallium arsenide radio-frequency chips that drive active electronically scanned array radars. RTX Corporation uses gallium nitride modules across its AN/SPY-6 naval radar platform for U.S. Navy destroyers. That program represents $3.2 billion in active naval procurement awards. Lockheed Martin integrates gallium nitride chips into AN/TPQ-53 counter-fire target acquisition radar assemblies. Specialized compound semiconductor modules account for roughly 15% of the system's electronic hardware expenses. Radio-frequency component manufacturer Qorvo generates approximately 18% of its defense and aerospace division revenue from gallium-based components. The supplier holds roughly four months of raw material buffer inventory. Primary extraction capacity remains concentrated within China's domestic alumina refining sector. Bauxite processing facilities in Europe and Australia hold gallium-bearing residues but lack operational recovery units, European trade representatives said. Constructing a commercial primary gallium extraction facility requires between three and four years, according to European mineral refiners. Initial capital expenses average $35 million per operational site. China established worldwide export licensing mandates for gallium and germanium in August 2023 under Announcement No. 23. State Council Decree No. 792 consolidated those dual-use restrictions in December 2024. Beijing then issued Announcement No. 46 in December 2024, blocking gallium, germanium and antimony exports to the United States. The restriction responded to expanded American controls on advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment. A separate diplomatic arrangement concluded in Kuala Lumpur extended a broader commercial trade truce through Jan. 10, 2027. However, that bilateral document omitted any reference to the specific Nov. 27 expiration date in Announcement No. 72. The ministry has not published an administrative notice clarifying whether the Nov. 27 suspension will be extended, allowed to lapse or aligned with the January 2027 trade arrangement. Chinese export authorities continue to review individual dual-use shipment applications under standard administrative procedures. Processing timelines currently require between 45 and 60 days per filing. Japanese and South Korean substrate manufacturers maintain active Chinese delivery quotas that expire at the end of December. Sumitomo Chemical and Freiberger Compound Materials process Chinese raw gallium into semiconductor wafers. Germany and Japan provided 38% of processed gallium metal imported into the United States last year, customs records indicate. Both processing nations depend on primary metal feedstock imported directly from smelters in China. The Pentagon allocated $45 million under the Defense Production Act in 2024 to expand domestic recycling operations. Those secondary recycling streams cover less than 2% of annual American defense consumption. Spot prices for 99.99% purity gallium reached $580 per kilogram in October, up from $439 per kilogram in 2024, according to pricing agency Argus Media. Trading desks in Rotterdam reported that Chinese smelters stopped confirming new shipment contracts scheduled for December delivery. Exporters cited operational uncertainty surrounding post-November regulatory rules. The Defense Logistics Agency lists gallium as a strategic material of interest. However, the agency maintains no physical metal reserves within the National Defense Stockpile. U.S. annual direct consumption of raw gallium metal totals approximately 20 metric tons. Total domestic consumption expands to 200 metric tons when counting imported gallium arsenide wafers, magnets and optoelectronic components. China's Ministry of Commerce conducts regular biweekly regulatory briefings in Beijing. The agency has scheduled its next formal administrative session for Nov. 14. ## Impact map | Event | Korea | China | Japan | Global impact | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Gallium export waiver expiration | Substrate processors face quota reviews on raw Chinese metal inputs | MOFCOM maintains 99% primary low-purity extraction leverage | Sumitomo Chemical faces secondary wafer export compliance hurdles | Western defense radar supply chains face acute compound chip shortages | ## In this story - **Companies:** RTX Corporation, Lockheed Martin, Qorvo - **Tickers:** RTX, LMT, QRVO - **Exposed:** Sumitomo Chemical - **Policy:** Export Controls - **Impact:** Supply Chain, Cost Structure, Compliance ## Primary sources 1. mofcom.gov.cn 2. investornews.com 3. cirs-group.com 4. procyonmetals.com 5. nanhai.org.cn --- Cite as: East Asia Brief, "China Retains Gallium Export Curbs Ahead of Nov. 27 Deadline," November 4, 2026. https://eastasiabrief.com/semiconductors/china-retains-gallium-export-curbs-ahead-nov-27-deadline-1111