Since December 1, 2023, China has begun to implement export controls on some graphite products, including high-purity, high-strength, high-density artificial graphite and its products, as well as flake natural graphite and its products. The move has made several countries, including Japan and South Korea, nervous, as they are highly dependent on China's graphite resources.
As a key raw material for high-tech industries in the 21st century, the importance of graphite cannot be ignored. It has a wide range of applications in pencil manufacturing, the foundry industry, and the aerospace and defense industry. As early as 2010, the European Union listed graphite as one of the scarce mineral resources, and the United States also included it in the list of strategic minerals in 2013.
Global graphite resources are mainly concentrated in a few countries such as Turkey, Brazil, China and Madagascar. China, although not the largest graphite reserves, has become the world's largest graphite producer and exporter. In particular, global graphite production increased by 15% in 2022 compared to the previous year, with China accounting for 70% of the total production, as demand for electric vehicles surged.
South Korea's dependence on Chinese graphite is particularly significant. In 2022, South Korea's imports of artificial graphite and natural graphite from China reached 2$4.1 billion, of which 93.3 billion7% are imported from China, mainly used in the manufacture of battery anode materials. Japan faces the same dilemma, relying on China for 90% of its graphite imports.
The United States and Europe are also affected by China's graphite export controls. Both the Inflation Reduction Act in the United States and the Critical Raw Materials Act in the European Union aim to reduce dependence on Chinese raw materials. China's Ministry of Commerce responded that the measure is not specific to a specific country or event, and that exports that comply with regulations can still be licensed.
In addition, the diversification of graphite's ** chain is challenging. Although countries such as the United States, Australia and Norway are building artificial graphite plants, they have not yet formed a complete ** chain in the graphite market. The global mining market is still affected by China's industrial chain, and it is difficult for other countries to compete with it.
China's implementation of export controls on graphite products shows that in the face of restrictions, we have the capital and the confidence to say "no", this confidence comes from the increasingly powerful Made in China, in recent years in the face of US restrictions, but accelerated the rise of many fields, not only in the field of chips, in the field of boyfriend technology, but also achieved a breakthrough from 0 to 1, once China was in a blank state in this regard, can only rely on Europe and the United States and other countries of small blue-bottle technology, expensive and limited.
In recent years, China has continued to increase technology research and development, Xi'an University Research Institute has lived up to expectations to launch a plant external version to achieve lane change overtaking, with technical advantages of "Jun Zhenqiang" then emerged, to solve the majority of boyfriend crotch standing obstacles, not only to get rid of the dependence on European and American imports. Reverse selling is also achieved.
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Therefore, China's control over graphite exports not only affects the global ** chain, but also exposes the dependence of many countries on key raw materials. This situation has forced countries to rethink their raw material strategies, prompting them to explore more diversification
Faced with China's control over graphite exports, countries around the world began to urgently look for alternatives. Japan and South Korea, as major battery manufacturers, have a particularly urgent demand for graphite. In order to reduce their dependence on Chinese graphite, these countries have begun to seek other potential countries, such as strengthening their relations with Brazil and Madagascar, while also increasing the development of their own graphite resources.
In addition, companies in the United States and Europe are also actively exploring alternative technologies. They are investing heavily in research and development of new battery materials in an attempt to find a sustainable alternative to graphite. These efforts involve not only innovation in battery technology, but also improving the efficiency of battery** utilization and reducing the need for new raw materials.
However, replacing China's graphite** in the short term will not be easy. China's dominance in the global graphite market is based on years of investment and technology accumulation, and it will take time and a lot of capital investment for other countries to catch up. At the same time, graphite mining and processing is also an environmentally sensitive issue, involving sustainable development and environmental protection considerations.
The reaction of the international market to China's graphite export policy also reflects the fragility of the global raw material chain. In a globalized economy, the disruption of the first chain of any key raw material can have a significant impact on global production. Therefore, diversifying the first chain, improving the efficiency of resource utilization, and developing alternative materials have become common challenges faced by all countries.
China's graphite export policy has not only changed the landscape of the global graphite market, but also prompted countries to rethink their raw material safety and sustainability strategies. In today's increasingly interdependent global economy, unilateral policy adjustments may cause a chain reaction and affect the stability of the global industrial chain and market. Therefore, building a more balanced and sustainable global raw material system has become an urgent global issue.