China Abruptly Bans Helium Exports, Extending Resource Controls to a Critical GasA · FULL TRANSLATION
- China imposed an immediate temporary export ban on helium on July 10
- Beijing cites securing domestic supply as a major helium importer
- Helium is irreplaceable in chipmaking, MRI machines and fiber optics
- The move extends export controls beyond gallium, germanium and graphite
China's commerce ministry and customs authority announced an immediate temporary export ban on helium (HS code 2804290010) on July 10. The official explanation: China is a major helium importer and must secure domestic supply, with the measure described as consistent with WTO rules and subject to adjustment.
Helium's strategic weight exceeds its fame—it is irreplaceable as a carrier and cooling gas in chipmaking, in MRI superconducting magnets, and in fiber optics and rocketry, cannot be synthesized, and comes overwhelmingly from a handful of fields in the US and Qatar. Since China imports most of its helium, the direct volume impact is limited; the signal is what matters. After gallium, germanium, graphite and rare earths, the resource-control toolbox has grown again.
Japan endured helium squeezes in 2019 and 2022, forcing rationing at chipmakers and hospitals; with supply almost entirely imported, source diversification and recycling technology move back up the agenda—for Taiwan's chip industry no less than Japan's.
Per JETRO's Beijing bulletin: China's Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs announced a temporary export ban on helium via Announcement No. 29 of 2026 on July 10. Based on the Foreign Trade Law, the announcement implements temporary export prohibition management for helium (HS code 2804290010), effective immediately, with future adjustments to be announced separately. At a July 16 press conference, the commerce ministry explained that China is a major helium importer and the measure secures domestic supply, stating it complies with the Foreign Trade Law and WTO rules, and that export management policy will be adjusted according to domestic and international supply-demand trends.