China restricts exports of graphite as it escalates a global tech war

China has unveiled plans to restrict exports of graphite — a mineral crucial to the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) — on national security grounds, the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs said Friday.

The announcement comes just days after the United States imposed additional limits on the kinds of semiconductors that American companies are able to sell to Chinese firms.

China, which dominates the world’s production and processing of graphite, says export permits will be needed, starting in December, for synthetic graphite material — including high-purity, high-strength and high-density versions — as well as for natural flake graphite.