Chinese court sentences 27 people for smuggling antimony ingots
A Chinese court imposed jail sentences and fines on Tuesday on 27 people for shipping antimony ingots out of the country without export licences, in a ruling that highlights how China is tightening enforcement of its controls on strategic minerals.
China is the world's largest producer of antimony, which is used in batteries, chips, flame retardants and the defence sector. Beijing added antinomy to its export control list in September 2024.
Last month, China said it had suspended a ban on exports of antimony, gallium and germanium to the United States following a meeting between Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, but the metals remain subject to broader export controls requiring shippers to first obtain licences from Beijing.
The main defendant, Wang Wubin, was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined one-million yuan ($141 899) for smuggling the antimony ingots, the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court said in a statement on its WeChataccount.
Wang was found to have conspired with smugglers overseas to organise other defendants to buy antimony ingots and smuggle them out of the country through concealment, disguise and false declaration without the required export licences in February and March this year, according to the statement.
The penalties for the other 26 defendants include fines and prison sentences ranging from four months to five years, depending on the volumes of the smuggled metal.
The case involved the smuggling of more than 166 metric tons of antimony, of which Chinese customs seized more than 96 tons, the court statement said.
In April, Hong Kong authorities said they had seized a cargo of antimony ingots. No arrests were announced at the time.
Reuters exclusively reported in July that unusually large quantities of antimony had poured into the United States from Thailand and Mexico after China barred US shipments last year.
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
AirNox (Pty) Ltd is a level 1 BBBEE manufacturer of complete AdBlue® solutions for operators of SCR diesel engines and AUS40 across South Africa...
VISIT SHOWROOM
The Aluminium Federation of South Africa (AFSA), is the voice of the South African aluminium industry.
VISIT SHOWROOM
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
