https://www.northernminer.com/
China’s ban on U.S.-bound critical mineral exports is “mineral extortion,” Washington D.C.-based National Mining Association (NMA) president Rich Nolan said on Wednesday. The export ban announced a day earlier targets gallium, germanium, antimony and graphite. These minerals are needed for semiconductors, 5G phone tech, defence systems and electric vehicle batteries. Antimony is found in bullets. Nolan described the export ban as a calculated bid for geopolitical leverage.
“China has weaponized the world’s mineral supply chains,” he said in an emailed statement. “We must confront Chinese mineral extortion and recognize that U.S. mining policy is the foundation of our nation’s economic, energy and national security.”
The trade tension comes amid U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s pledge last month to impose 25% duties on goods from Canada and Mexico, and 10% on products from China until they clamp down on illegal migrants and cross-border narcotics. Analysts said then a trade war could erupt.