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China’s ‘silent sanction’ on US semiconductors creates a weapons generation gap
Export controls on gallium nitride and other critical minerals hold back development while Chinese military technology surges
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Zhang Tongin Beijing
In addition to the spectacle of Wednesday’s military parade in Tiananmen Square, with its rows of never-before-seen weapons and equipment, was a less visible but highly consequential shift.
At its heart lies China’s growing dominance in gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology, giving it a strategic advantage that is reshaping the global arms race, according to a report by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Physics.
“Behind this technological advancement lies a ‘hidden thread’ of semiconductor development: China’s GaN-based semiconductor technology has reached maturity,” it said in the report, which was also released on Wednesday.
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Unlike Washington’s overt restrictions aimed at curbing China’s access to advanced chips, Beijing’s countermove has effectively become a silent sanction on the US semiconductor industry – particularly its defence capabilities.
Framed as measures to ensure national security and fair trade, China’s export controls on critical raw materials like gallium and germanium also exploit its near-monopoly on the production of essential materials for next-generation military electronics.
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This strategic leverage has enabled China to deploy cutting-edge phased array radar systems across its armed forces at a pace and scale unmatched by the United States, according to the report.
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