Six metals underpinning semiconductors, defence alloys and autocatalysts where China or Russia controls supply, making export restrictions a primary geopolitical weapon.
A semi-metal China supplies at roughly 60% of world output, antimony is critical for military munitions and flame retardants, and China weaponized its position with export controls from 2024.
full dossier ›The densest stable industrial metal, produced roughly 80% in China, whose February 2025 export controls repriced cutting-tool carbide and prompted a US defence procurement ban from January 2027.
A transition metal that hardens steel rebar and stores renewable electricity in flow batteries, with China controlling roughly 60% of global supply as of mid-2026.
China's controls on antimony created ongoing shortages a year on; tungsten hit $450/MTU and the US banned Chinese tungsten from defence procurement from January 2027. Almonty's Sangdong Phase 1 in South Korea targets 40% of ex-China supply