Hong Kong customs seize antimony amid China's export controls

8/4/2025 13:17

Hong Kong customs seized suspected antimony ingots, customs said in a statement dated April 2, a move that comes after China, the world's biggest producer of the metal, imposed export controls on shipments in September.



The 25,171.85 kg of antimony was found on March 13 inside a 40-foot outbound container at the city's cargo compound in the north of Hong Kong, near the mainland border, the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department said, without giving a specific reason for the seizure.



China exported about 3.9 million kg of wrought and unwrought antimony last year, however shipments of these products have all but stopped since the controls were imposed in September. The only export which shows up in Chinese customs data is a 20,000-kg shipment to Japan in January.



Antimony is a shiny grey metalloid known since ancient times when it was used in medicine and cosmetics.