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Mia Nurmamat

China will adjust its export controls on helium in response to changes in domestic and global supply conditions, after temporarily suspending overseas shipments of the gas last week amid a tightening global supply situation.
The Ministry of Commerce said the temporary export ban was in line with the country’s foreign trade laws and World Trade Organization rules.
“China is a major importer of helium,” ministry spokesman He Yadong said, adding that the temporary ban was to “safeguard domestic supply”.
“Going forward, we will adjust our export-management policies in a timely manner based on changes in domestic and international helium supply and demand,” He said at a press conference on Thursday.
Helium, a by-product of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production, is a critical input for a range of industries, including semiconductors, medical equipment and aerospace.
China is heavily reliant on imported helium, with more than 85 per cent of its supply coming from overseas sources, according to data cited in a research note this week by consultancy Trivium China.


However, the world’s natural gas supplies have come under pressure in recent months amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, which led to the shutdown of a major facility in Qatar and has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
China imported more than 4,900 tonnes of helium last year, up 21.7 per cent from a year earlier, according to customs data. By comparison, its exports totalled only about 788 tonnes, with major destinations including South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, the United States and Japan.
In the first five months of this year, China’s helium exports continued to rise despite a surge in global prices, with year-on-year shipments increasing 32 per cent to 409 tonnes, partly driven by a sharp increase in deliveries to South Korea and Taiwan.
To safeguard domestic supply, China announced in a brief statement on Friday that it was temporarily suspending helium exports.
Qatar accounts for a third of global helium supplies and more than half of China’s imports, but Qatar’s exports have been severely disrupted after Iran struck a major processing and export base in the Ras Laffan Industrial City in March, according to Trivium’s note, published on Monday.


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A by-product of LNG production, helium is critical for hi-tech industries including semiconductors, medical equipment and aerospace


A by-product of LNG production, helium is critical for hi-tech industries including semiconductors, medical equipment and aerospace.


China vows helium-trade policy changes as global tightening squeezes gas supplies

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A by-product of LNG production, helium is critical for hi-tech industries including semiconductors, medical equipment and aerospace

A by-product of LNG production, helium is critical for hi-tech industries including semiconductors, medical equipment and aerospace