U.S. Perspective
Trump via Truth Social:
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
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. Nobody has ever seen anything like this but, essentially, it would “clog” the Markets, and make life difficult for virtually every Country in the World, especially for China. We have been contacted by other Countries who are extremely angry at this great Trade hostility, which came out of nowhere. Our relationship with China over the past six months has been a very good one, thereby making this move on Trade an even more surprising one. I have always felt that they’ve been lying in wait, and now, as usual, I have been proven right! There is no way that China should be allowed to hold the World “captive,” but that seems to have been their plan for quite some time, starting with the “Magnets” and, other Elements that they have quietly amassed into somewhat of a Monopoly position, a rather sinister and hostile move, to say the least. But the U.S. has Monopoly positions also, much stronger and more far reaching than China’s. I have just not chosen to use them, there was never a reason for me to do so — UNTIL NOW! The letter they sent is many pages long, and details, with great specificity, each and every Element that they want to withhold from other Nations. Things that were routine are no longer routine at all. I have not spoken to President Xi because there was no reason to do so. This was a real surprise, not only to me, but to all the Leaders of the Free World. I was to meet President Xi in two weeks, at APEC, in South Korea, but now there seems to be no reason to do so. The Chinese letters were especially inappropriate in that this was the Day that, after three thousand years of bedlam and fighting, there is PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. I wonder if that timing was coincidental? Dependent on what China says about the hostile “order” that they have just put out, I will be forced, as President of the United States of America, to financially counter their move. For every Element that they have been able to monopolize, we have two. I never thought it would come to this but perhaps, as with all things, the time has come. 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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
China Perspective
China’s Improved Rare-Earths Governance Safeguards Global Supply-Chain Stability
2025-10-10 08:33 — Global Times
On October 9, China’s Ministry of Commerce issued two notices to strengthen export controls on certain rare-earth–related items. The measures place export controls on some overseas rare-earth items that contain Chinese content as well as on rare-earth–related technologies, further improving China’s rules and tools for controlling exports of covered rare-earth items and related technologies. The move has drawn attention at home and abroad. The new rules will help China better safeguard national security and interests, while also reflecting China’s consistent stance of firmly upholding world peace and regional stability and actively participating in international non-proliferation efforts.
This decision is by no means ad hoc; it is one step in China’s systematic push to regulate and standardize the rare-earth industry. Certain rare-earth technologies were included as early as 2001 in the Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited and Restricted from Export of China. And in April this year, the Chinese government already imposed export controls on rare-earth items exported by Chinese organizations and individuals. The latest notices further refine and strengthen the existing management system, reflecting the continuity and stability of the national export-control framework and representing an upgrade in China’s governance capacity in the rare-earth sector—routine actions under law. Concerns in some foreign media that normal rare-earth trade may “not get through” or even be “cut off” are entirely unnecessary.
Rare-earth-related items are dual-use in nature, and subjecting them to export controls is common international practice. Preventing rare earths from being used in activities that undermine international peace and security is a non-proliferation obligation all countries must shoulder. A Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said on the 9th that for some time, certain overseas organizations and individuals have directly, or after processing, transferred China-origin controlled rare-earth items to relevant organizations and individuals for direct or indirect use in military and other sensitive fields. Faced with behavior that causes major harm or potential threats to China’s national security and interests, and adversely affects international peace and stability, China—as a responsible major country—must act. This all the more confirms the necessity of regulating exports of rare-earth-related technologies.
China’s rare-earth controls are a natural extension of a modern governance system into the industrial realm. In the 1990s, China’s rare-earth industry experienced disorderly growth due to rough, extensive management, which not only overdrew resource endowments but also caused great environmental damage. Such development is unsustainable and would ultimately undermine the stability of global supply chains. Aligning proactively with prevailing international practices and raising the level of governance in the rare-earth industry meets China’s own development needs and is also a necessary step for China, as a major supplier of critical minerals, to fulfill its responsibilities.
China holds 37% of global rare-earth reserves and accounts for over 60% of global rare-earth mine output. As a major supplier, China has never turned its resource advantage into a tool of hegemony. The goal of China’s rare-earth controls has always been to “regulate exports,” not “ban exports.” On the contrary, the relevant control policies have remained open and non-discriminatory: they do not erect barriers against specific countries and leave ample space for compliant trade. Since the implementation of China’s rare-earth control policies, the supply-chain rupture hyped by some Western media has not materialized; instead, the industry has been pushed to transform from low-price, disorderly competition toward high-quality development. The new rules also expressly reserve policy space for technologies already in the public domain, for basic scientific research, and for ordinary patents. All of this fully reflects the Chinese government’s responsible attitude in considering the practical needs of market participants. Some Western commentary that China is “choking the world’s neck” is an unfounded projection—ignoring the long-standing, rules-based and peace-oriented nature of China’s controls and misunderstanding their deeper value for globalized industrial chains.
Building an open world economy is China’s consistent position. So long as it conforms to WTO rules, resource and technology controls will never become “resource and technology blockades” for China. Across the series of rare-earth control laws and policies China has introduced, we see multiple green channels and exemption processes, as well as a categorized model of “case-by-case review and issue-by-issue deliberation.” As the Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said, the precision of these measures is precisely to ensure the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains. From these policies, the international community can clearly see China’s development philosophy of mutual dependence among nations and a shared future for the world. Globally, the governance of rare-earth technologies is bound to become more standardized and transparent. China is playing a constructive role in this process and, through candid dialogue and cooperation, working with the international community to promote a fairer and more reasonable international order for rare-earth trade—safeguarding the stability and prosperity of global strategic-resource supply chains.
Updates
Here’s a solid synopsis of what’s really driving China’s newly announced tightening of export controls on critical minerals, from Rare Earth Observer—which we’ve cited before. The story has been percolating in (local) Chinese media for a few days, so the move itself wasn’t a surprise. The Trump administration’s reaction was.
