From August 1 this year, China will implement stricter controls on the export of gallium and germanium.

 That's according to a press release from China's Ministry of Commerce. Both of these technical metals are important raw materials for the production of semiconductors, solar cells, leds and lasers. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, China is the world's largest producer of gallium and germanium. Against the backdrop of political tensions between China and the United States, the announcement also attracted wide media attention. However, it is unclear how these measures, which are considered from a national security perspective, will work in practice. Specifically, they asked Chinese export companies to apply for licenses to export gallium and germanium related products in the future. From the Commerce Ministry's announcement, it is unclear what conditions are required to obtain a license, or what conditions could lead to a ban. However, the exporter must provide detailed information about the consignee of the product. Some compounds of these two metals qualify as dual-use goods. Therefore, China may be primarily concerned with controlling the countries that supply these raw materials.