China jails gang of smugglers in critical minerals case

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA)— A Chinese court has sentenced 27 people to prison for smuggling more than 166 tons of antimony, a critical mineral used in weapons, semiconductors, and flame retardants.

The Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court in the southern province of Guangdong said the smugglers shipped the critical mineral, a dual-use item on China's export control list, without obtaining export licenses, according to a recent statement.

Wang Wubin, the ringleader of the group, faces 12 years in prison and a fine of 1 million yuan (about $142,000), while the other 26 defendants were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five years to four months, along with fines, according to the South China Morning Post on Thursday.

“The circumstances were serious and warrant severe punishment in accordance with the law,” the court said, adding that Wang conspired with an overseas smuggling gang to move the metal ingots out of China between February and March this year.

Antimony is a critical mineral that is used in producing lead-acid batteries, photovoltaic equipment, semiconductors, flame retardants, far-infrared devices, and various military products.

China, the world’s largest producer of antimony, prohibited all exports of antimony along with other critical materials to the US in Dec. 2024 and began implementing new export-control regulations for “dual-use” goods.

In the wake of an Oct. meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, Beijing suspended the ban on the US for one year, noting that it did not lift the ban on exports of dual-use goods to US military users.