China rare-earth controls could starve EU factories in days, chamber warns

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Samples of rare-earth minerals -- Cerium oxide, Bastnasite, Neodymium oxide and Lanthanum carbonate -- on display at a facility in California. © Reuters

WATARU SUZUKI

SHANGHAI -- China's export controls on rare-earth minerals threaten to halt production at European manufacturers within days, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China warned on Wednesday.

China tightened controls on critical minerals as it steeled itself for a trade war with the U.S. It imposed export restrictions on seven rare-earth elements and magnets used in a wide range of industrial products, including electric vehicles and weapons, in early April -- shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced "reciprocal" tariffs.

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