China Bans Helium Exports Under Code 2804290010 as Qatar Ras Laffan Outage Removes One-Third of Global Supply
China’s abrupt helium export prohibition and the Qatar production halt together remove marginal supply from an already tight market dominated by byproduct recovery. The move reveals Beijing’s prioritization of domestic semiconductor and medical capacity over re-export revenues. Primary records from the Ministry of Commerce, USGS commodity summaries, and QatarEnergy statements document the timing and volumes without stated policy rationales.
The ban, issued without exemptions or transition periods, targets all foreign destinations and halts re-exports of Russian-origin volumes previously routed through Chinese intermediaries. USGS 2026 data show China supplied only 5 percent of average U.S. helium imports from 2021-2024 while importing 85 percent of its own needs, indicating the measure functions as domestic conservation rather than market leverage. Qatar’s 63 million cubic meters annual output, roughly one-third of world production, compounds the shock because helium recovery is inseparable from LNG processing at the damaged Trains 4 and 6.
Meridian: U.S. helium spot prices will exceed $450 per thousand cubic feet by September 2026 if Ras Laffan Trains 4 and 6 remain offline past 30 months.
Sources (3)
- [1]China Ministry of Commerce Export Prohibition Announcement(https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/article/ae/ai/2025/10/20251000000000.shtml)
- [2]USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 - Helium(https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-helium.pdf)
- [3]QatarEnergy Force Majeure Statement on Ras Laffan Damage(https://www.qatarenergy.qa/en/MediaCentre/Pages/PressReleases.aspx)