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Sylvia Ma

Mia Nurmamat

China has imposed a temporary ban on exports of helium to take effect immediately, as analysts said the country was moving to ensure its domestic chipmakers could maintain production amid a severe disruption in global supplies of the gas.
The announcement – issued by the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs on Friday – did not specify any destination markets or exemptions, implying that the ban applies to all overseas shipments.
Helium, a by-product of liquefied natural gas production, is a critical input for a range of sectors including semiconductors, medical equipment and aerospace.
Global supplies of the gas have come under severe strain in recent months amid the US-Israel war on Iran, which forced a major facility in Qatar to close and affected shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
China is heavily reliant on imports of helium, with more than 80 per cent of its supplies coming from overseas, according to Chinese commodities data provider SCI99.
“This reads as a clear defensive move,” said Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific at French investment bank Natixis.
With global helium supplies already strained by the Middle East disruptions, China is “prioritising uninterrupted supply” for its domestic chipmakers like ChangXin Memory Technologies amid surging memory demand driven by the artificial intelligence boom, according to Garcia-Herrero.
“It’s classic resource security for a strategic sector,” she added.
Beijing is moving early to lock in helium supplies for its chip push before global competition for remaining volumes intensifies
Alicia Garcia-Herrero, Natixis
Last year, China’s imports of helium soared by 21.7 per cent year on year to more than 4,900 tonnes, Chinese customs data showed, as domestic chipmakers ramped up production to serve AI firms rushing to build servers and data centres.
By comparison, its exports only amounted to nearly 788 tonnes, with major export destinations including South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, the United States and Japan.
But the country’s imports have dropped off significantly amid the Iran war, as shipments fell by more than 10 per cent year on year in the first five months of 2026.
Yet, its helium exports have continued to increase amid a surge in global prices, with outbound shipments rising 32 per cent year on year to 409 tonnes – partly driven by big increases in deliveries to South Korea and Taiwan.
Xu Tianchen, a senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said the export ban came as helium supplies remained “very tight” despite the recent de-escalation in the Iran war.
As helium takes several weeks to load into specialised containers and ship, the impact of a supply disruption is felt with a lag, according to Xu. “Availability in June and July could be tighter than it was immediately after the initial shock,” he added.
In November, S&P Global noted in a report that demand for helium was driven by the semiconductor, electronics and fibre-optic industries, particularly in Asian nations such as China, India and South Korea.
Production of the gas is highly concentrated among just a few countries, with the United States accounting for 42.6 per cent of global output and Qatar 33.2 per cent, data from the US Geological Survey showed. That left the industry highly vulnerable amid the Middle East conflict.
In April, S&P Global noted that the war was disrupting supplies of several key raw materials, with helium “under the biggest risk” due to its use in semiconductor manufacturing.
Garcia-Herrero said the timing of the ban “looks deliberate”, adding that it came as the Iran-related supply shock was still rippling through the market and after Russia had tightened its own helium exports earlier this year.
“Beijing is moving early to lock in supplies for its chip push before global competition for remaining volumes intensifies, or prices spike further,” she said.
“It’s a pre-emptive step to protect industrial policy goals during a window of acute vulnerability.”


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The ban on shipments of the gas, a crucial raw material in semiconductors and other sectors, comes as Middle East conflict strains global supplies


The ban on shipments of the gas, a crucial raw material in semiconductors and other sectors, comes as Middle East conflict strains global supplies.


China issues temporary ban on helium exports as Iran war weighs on chip supply chain

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The ban on shipments of the gas, a crucial raw material in semiconductors and other sectors, comes as Middle East conflict strains global supplies

The ban on shipments of the gas, a crucial raw material in semiconductors and other sectors, comes as Middle East conflict strains global supplies