5 h. ago EU on edge: why the bloc has no quick fix for China’s rare earth dominance

The European Union is facing growing calls to act against Beijing’s dominance over rare earth supply chains, highlighting persistent tensions just weeks before the coming EU-China summit. “Europe faces dual coercion: Trump’s tariffs and more threateningly, China’s strategic chokehold on rare earth exports,” said Bart Groothuis, MEP for Renew Europe, a centrist group in the European Parliament led by French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party. “This is not collateral damage from the...

Politics

5 h. ago EU urges China for rare earth access amid US tariffs, growing supply worries

The European Union is facing growing calls to act against Beijing’s dominance over rare earth supply chains, highlighting persistent tensions just weeks before the coming EU-China summit. “Europe faces dual coercion: Trump’s tariffs and more threateningly, China’s strategic chokehold on rare earth exports,” said Bart Groothuis, MEP for Renew Europe, a centrist group in the European Parliament led by French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party. “This is not collateral damage from the...

Politics

27 h. ago US ‘remains dependent’: why China’s rare earth dominance is far from over

China is expected to maintain a strategic edge over the United States in the rare earth industry, thanks to Beijing’s long-term investments in advanced mining and processing technologies. In contrast, the US is paying the price for decades of underinvestment, obsolete policies and the absence of a coherent strategy, according to a report by the New York-based think tank Strategy Risks. The warning came as Beijing increasingly leverages its dominance in the global rare earth supply chain –...

Politics

48 h. ago East Asia faces fresh US tariffs, China rare earth curbs: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Apparently impatient Trump slaps 25% tariffs on Japan, South Korea US President Donald Trump, apparently impatient with the slow progress of negotiations, on Monday slapped 25 per cent unilateral tariffs on Japan and South Korea and equal or higher import taxes on several other nations ahead of a self-imposed Wednesday deadline. 2. Rare earth dominance: why...

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55 h. ago Rare earth dominance: why China still holds the cards despite global pushback

Beijing’s recent export controls on rare earths have spurred a flurry of international efforts to diversify supply chains and reduce China’s long-standing dominance in critical minerals. In June, the Ministry of Commerce announced that it would approve qualified export applications and was open to discussions with other countries regarding the restrictions. But as rare earths emerge as a new front in the US-China rivalry, companies worldwide have announced plans for a string of projects designed...

Politics

3 w. ago China attains leverage in trade war on the back of its trump card, rare earths.

The United States remains a dominant power in finance, while China has a pre-eminent position in the global industrial supply chain. That distinction between the world’s two largest economies was highlighted in the latest trade talks between Beijing and Washington, when China leveraged its trump card – rare earth elements. China dominates the global supply of rare earths, including 70 per cent of mining and around 90 per cent of refining these minerals. Rare earths are vital components in a vast...

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4 w. ago ‘Making a dent’: race is on to reap rare earths elsewhere amid China’s dominance

Beijing’s imposition of rare earth export restrictions from April – playing its trump card in the face of Washington’s intensifying tariffs and tech curbs – helped send a message to Washington ahead of this week’s discussions over bilateral export-control issues. Considered a trump card because rare earths have an outsized impact on auto, electronics and defence industries, and China dominates the supply chain, the trade in such critical minerals is widely expected to be among the key topics...

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