China has expanded its use of critical minerals as a trade weapon with curbs on exports of rare earths, threatening to shake-up the global supply of key materials used widely in high-tech manufacturing from electric vehicles to weaponry.
As part of its retaliation to President Donald Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs on imported Chinese goods, Beijing said Friday it will tighten controls on exports of seven types of rare earths. The country is by far the world’s biggest supplier of the minerals, which comprise 17 elements in the periodic table.
The move triggered big gains for related stocks on Monday, with China Rare Earth Holdings Ltd. rising as much as 10% in Hong Kong. China Northern Rare Earth Group added as much as 9.2%, and Australia’s Lynas Rare Earths Ltd. as much as 5.1%. China accounts for almost 70% of the world’s production of rare earths, according to the US Geological Survey.
For the rest of this article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-07/china-deploys-rare-earths-as-weapon-in-trade-war-with-trump