[News] China’s Export Control Measures and Their Impact on Electric Vehicle Battery Production

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China’s Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs announced on Friday that it is optimizing and adjusting the temporary export control measures for graphite materials, officially incorporating three high-sensitivity graphite items, previously under temporary control, into the dual-use export control list.

According to an announcement on the Ministry of Commerce’s website, China’s export control regulations have been modified to safeguard national security and interests. This move, approved by the State Council of China, aims to optimize and adjust the scope of items as per Announcement No. 50 of 2006, titled “Decision on the Implementation of Temporary Export Control Measures on Graphite-related Products by China’s Ministry of Commerce, National Defense Science and Technology Commission, and General Administration of Customs.” Consequently, export controls are imposed on some items.

Specifically, artificial graphite materials and their products with high purity (purity >99.9%), high strength (flexural strength >30Mpa), and high density (density >1.73g per cubic centimeter), as well as natural flake graphite and its products (including spherical graphite and expanded graphite), will require permits and cannot be exported without permission.

Simultaneously, temporary controls have been removed for five low-sensitivity graphite items mainly used in the national economic base industries, such as steel, metallurgy, and chemicals.

Graphite is used in the production of electric vehicle batteries. According to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, China is the world’s largest producer of graphite, accounting for 67% of the global supply of natural graphite.

A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce responded to inquiries about the export control policy regarding graphite materials, stating that this policy will officially take effect on December 1st. Prior notifications have been sent to concerned countries and regions.

The spokesperson emphasized that implementing export controls on specific graphite items is a common international practice. As the world’s largest producer and exporter of graphite, China has consistently fulfilled international obligations, including non-proliferation. In line with the need to safeguard national security and interests, China has lawfully imposed export controls on specific graphite items, including temporary measures on some graphite items.

In recent times, based on the Export Control Law, the Chinese government has conducted a comprehensive assessment of temporary control measures for graphite items and has made optimized adjustments to reflect a coordinated development and security control concept. This is advantageous for better adherence to international obligations, ensuring the stability and security of global supply chains, and safeguarding national security and interests. China’s export control adjustments are not targeted at any specific country or region, and items that comply with relevant regulations will be permitted for export.

（Photo credit: BYD）