China’s Gallium Exports in Limbo After Start of Controls

A gallium arsenide semiconducting wafer.

Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg

China’s push to control its exports of gallium has sent international prices for the metal used in semiconductors to a 10-month high as suppliers await official approvals to ship overseas.

Chinese producers of the niche metal need permission to ship abroad under rules effective from Aug. 1. While some exporters have filed for approval, they expect the process could take several weeks, according to people with knowledge of the issue who declined to be named because the information is not public.