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China’s top anti-espionage agency has warned of foreign attempts to bypass Chinese export controls to obtain rare minerals essential for cutting-edge military applications. The resources are also central to China’s push for self-reliance amid its intensifying power rivalry with the United States. The warning from the Ministry of State Security on Saturday came as it revealed two antimony smuggling cases, one involving a family-run criminal network and the other a group of traffickers. “Certain foreign countries, in an effort to expand their reserves of rare metals such as antimony, have sought to circumvent China’s export controls in order to obtain our scarce strategic resources,” the ministry said in an article published on its social media platform. “Such actions have already posed a real threat to China’s national security and interests.” Eight suspects were arrested and faced criminal prosecution for trying to smuggle high-purity antimony ingots, with a state security investigation revealing a smuggling ring centred around a Chinese family, the article said. The ringleader, who is based overseas, financed the operation and liaised with domestic producers, placing orders through third-party shell companies. Meanwhile, other relatives handled the smuggling and transit of the goods through a third country before final delivery. In a separate operation, authorities intercepted a group trying to smuggle antimony ingots concealed within legally declared miscellaneous cargo. Five suspects were arrested and several tonnes of antimony seized, the ministry said. The smuggling cases come amid tightening supply and surging international prices for antimony, driven by mining policies, export controls and declining ore grades, according to the ministry. “The widening price gap between domestic and overseas markets has tempted some lawbreakers to take reckless risks,” it said. China is the world’s largest producer of antimony, a rare metal widely used in industrial and military applications – particularly in the production of high-performance weapons. It has been listed as a critical mineral by multiple countries. China has imposed export restrictions on antimony and other critical minerals, including rare earths, gallium and germanium, citing the need to safeguard national security in the face of technological restrictions imposed by the US. These resources are considered a key bargaining chip for Beijing as it tackles the US trade war. Many reported smuggling cases have involved overseas parties colluding with domestic criminals and continuously developing new methods to traffic the resources out of the country. The ministry has previously warned about foreign agents adopting multiple strategies to smuggle rare earths, including packaging them with fake labels, falsifying product names, and sending the materials through express delivery packages. Chinese authorities have intensified crackdowns on such activities, with a special operation launched in May leading to multiple arrests.
