US President Donald Trump on Friday alleged that China wants to impose export controls on each and every element of production related to rare earths, and that the nation is sending letters to countries in this regard.
US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, “Some very strange things are happening in China! They are becoming very hostile, and sending letters to Countries throughout the World, that they want to impose Export Controls on each and every element of production having to do with Rare Earths, and virtually anything else they can think of, even if it’s not manufactured in China…Ultimately, though potentially painful, it will be a very good thing, in the end, for the U.S.A. One of the Policies that we are calculating at this moment is a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States of America. There are many other countermeasures that are, likewise, under serious consideration..”
US President Donald Trump posts, "Some very strange things are happening in China! They are becoming very hostile, and sending letters to Countries throughout the World, that they want to impose Export Controls on each and every element of production having to do with Rare… pic.twitter.com/Xj3EowekCB
— ANI (@ANI) October 10, 2025
Beijing has ramped up sweeping restrictions on rare earth exports, expanding its control list and extending curbs to cover production technologies and overseas applications, including in military and semiconductor sectors, CNN reported.
China, which dominates global processing of rare earths used in everything from smartphones to fighter jets, added five new elements, holmium, erbium, thulium, europium, and ytterbium, to its existing list of restricted minerals, bringing the total to 12 out of 17 types. Export licences will now be required not only for the elements themselves but also for technologies related to mining, smelting, and magnet production.
The Chinese Commerce Ministry said the move aims to “safeguard national security and interests” and prevent the materials from being used “directly or indirectly in military and other sensitive fields.” It also imposed new restrictions on lithium batteries and graphite anode materials used in electric vehicles, CNN’s report added.
The new measures will come into full effect between November and December, pointing to Beijing’s growing leverage in trade talks with the United States ahead of an expected meeting between President Xi Jinping and Donald Trump at the APEC summit in South Korea later this month.
