September 22, 2026

China Rare Earth Minerals

Analysis: Trump tariffs ironically cast spotlight on Beijing-led ...

President Donald J Trump announced plans to ratchet up tariffs on China immediately to 100% above whatever current levels they are currently set at. The announcement comes after China sent a threatening letter to America’s allies.

Trump declared, “It has just been learned that China has taken an extraordinarily aggressive position on Trade in sending an extremely hostile letter to the World, stating that they were going to, effective November 1st, 2025, impose large scale Export Controls on virtually every product they make, and some not even made by them. This affects ALL Countries, without exception, and was obviously a plan devised by them years ago. It is absolutely unheard of in International Trade, and a moral disgrace in dealing with other Nations.”

“Based on the fact that China has taken this unprecedented position, and speaking only for the U.S.A., and not other Nations who were similarly threatened, starting November 1st, 2025 (or sooner, depending on any further actions or changes taken by China), the United States of America will impose a Tariff of 100% on China, over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying. Also on November 1st, we will impose Export Controls on any and all critical software. It is impossible to believe that China would have taken such an action, but they have, and the rest is History.”

Blurb:

“Starting November 1st, 2025 … the United States of America will impose a Tariff of 100% on China, over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying.”

President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the US will be imposing a tariff of 100% on China, “over and above any tariff that they are currently paying,” starting on November 1, 2025.

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DJI is continuing to fight the U.S. government’s classification of it as a “Chinese military company,” filing an appeal in its unsuccessful lawsuit against the Department of Defense (DoD, recently renamed the Department of War).

In a ruling against DJI last month, a U.S. district court allowed the DoD’s designation of the Chinese drone manufacturer as a “Chinese military company” to stand. Despite disagreeing with the DoD’s allegation that DJI is “indirectly owned by the Chinese Communist Party,” the judge determined that there is evidence that the company does contribute to the “Chinese defence industrial base,” as drones are of substantial use in military contexts.

Mine the Tech Gap: Why China's Rare Earth Dominance Persists | New ...

China tightens rare earth export controls, targets defence, semiconductor users
from finance.yahoo.com

Blurb:

BEIJING (Reuters) -China tightened its rare earth export controls on Thursday, expanding restrictions on processing technology, unauthorised overseas cooperation and spelling out its intention to limit exports to overseas defence and semiconductor users.

Exports of technology used to mine and process rare earths or make the associated magnets is barred without permission, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. Many of these technologies are already restricted and it was not immediately clear what the new rules will add.

China added several rare earths and related material to its export control list in April, however Thursday’s announcement explicitly said licenses are unlikely to be granted for defence companies as well as certain users in the semiconductor sector.

 

China Limits Critical Mineral Supplies to Western Defense Manufacturers– legalinsurrection.com
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Our amazing Leslie Eastman has been reporting on this subject since January:

Defense manufacturers must “stop buying rare-earth magnets that contain China-sourced minerals by 2027.”

Well…it looks like China will make that happen before 2027.

The Wall Street Journal reported that China is now limiting the flow of critical minerals to Western defense manufacturers:

Earlier this year, as U.S.-China trade tensions soared, Beijing tightened the controls it places on the export of rare earths. While Beijing allowed them to start flowing after the Trump administration agreed in June to a series of trade concessions, China has maintained a lock on critical minerals for defense purposes. China supplies around 90% of the world’s rare earths and dominates the production of many other critical minerals.

As a result, one drone-parts manufacturer that supplies the U.S. military was forced to delay orders by up to two months while it searched for a non-Chinese source of magnets, which are assembled from rare earths.

Certain materials needed by the defense industry now go for five or more times what was typical before China’s recent mineral restrictions, according to industry traders. One company said it was recently offered samarium—an element needed to make magnets that can withstand the extreme temperatures of a jet-fighter engine—for 60 times the standard price. That is already driving the cost of defense systems higher, say suppliers and defense executives.

Wyoming’s New Rare-Earth Mine Could End China’s Monopoly – Daily Signal

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The first new U.S. rare-earth mine in 70 years broke ground this month in Wyoming.

Ramaco Brook Mine, which contains 1.7 million tons of rare earth minerals, is a “groundbreaking discovery” that “marks a turning point for America,” the Department of Energy announced.

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As U.S. tariffs tighten the screws on China’s export machine, Beijing is striking back with strategic precision. Export restrictions on rare earths are now Beijing’s latest move to break down European trade barriers and push back against escalating pressure from Washington.

In today’s global trade standoff, the gloves are off. The U.S. is wielding its market clout — 25% of global consumption originates from the American domestic market. Anyone in the export business must deal with the United States. China, meanwhile, holds an current monopoly on rare earths — and is making it clear it will not hesitate to weaponize that dominance. The stakes are rising, and national interests now override globalist courtesies.

Europe is learning the hard way: in geopolitics, there are no friends, only temporary alliances. China’s tightened export controls on rare earth elements risk plunging Germany’s industrial sector into a severe resource crisis. With nearly 85% of global rare earth refining under its control, Beijing is the chief supplier of key metals like dysprosium, terbium, and yttrium — critical for electric motors, medical tech, and defense systems.

Since April 2025, access to these raw materials has been restricted to licensed exporters only — a de facto embargo. The fallout is immediate: several German manufacturers have already been forced to scale back operations. Others face complete shutdowns. Industrial metal prices continue climbing, and the fragility of global supply chains is now exposed in brutal detail. Europe’s resource dependency is becoming a major liability — and a strategic weakness in the coming trade war negotiations.

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China has suspended exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets, threatening to choke off supplies of components central to automakers, aerospace manufacturers, semiconductor companies and military contractors around the world.

Shipments of the magnets, essential for assembling everything from cars and drones to robots and missiles, have been halted at many Chinese ports while the Chinese government drafts a new regulatory system. Once in place, the new system could permanently prevent supplies from reaching certain companies, including American military contractors.

The official crackdown is part of China’s retaliation for President Trump’s sharp increase in tariffs that started on April 2.