China has suspended exports of critical rare earth minerals and magnets, essential for car, semiconductor, and aerospace industries. The move is part of China’s retaliation against President Trump’s latest tariffs. Chinese customs officials are blocking exports to the US, Japan, and Germany, while enforcing uneven rules at different ports.
The country’s dominance in producing heavy rare earth metals and 90% of the world’s nearly 200,000 tons of rare earth magnets has left many countries dependent on China for raw materials. The suspension of exports has minimal economic pain in China but significant effects in the US and other countries.
Chinese customs officials are taking a more stringent stance, demanding exporters run tests to prove that any batch of magnets does not have heavy rare earth metals in them before they can be loaded on ships for export. The move is part of a broader effort by China to disrupt American supply chains and assert its control over critical materials.
The US has long relied on Chinese imports of rare earth minerals, with the majority coming from Jiangxi Province in south-central China. However, some American companies keep little or no inventory of these costly materials due to their high cost and limited availability.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/13/business/china-rare-earths-exports.html