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From Fox Business: U.S. industry will soon feel the “squeeze” as China halts exports of rare earth minerals – key components in weapons systems, electric vehicles and consumer electronics – in direct retaliation for President Donald Trump’s sweeping 145% tariffs.
Shipments of magnets from China have ground to a halt, the New York Times reported on Sunday, as Beijing tightens export controls in a direct strike on U.S. manufacturing and defense supply chains. While the move is intended to pressure the White House, industry sources say its impact will be global, with exports halted to all foreign buyers, not just the United States.
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett acknowledged the growing alarm on Monday, telling reporters at the White House, “Rare earths are a part of lots of the economy. The rare earth limits are being studied very carefully, and they’re concerning, and we’re thinking about all the options right now.”
After Trump’s tariff announcement, China hit back with its own 125% tariff on U.S. goods and imposed new export restrictions on seven rare earth materials. Exporters are now holding back shipments as they navigate a potentially lengthy licensing process. Overseas deliveries of magnets – vital for assembling cars, robotics and defense systems – came to a halt on April 4 as the new rules took effect.
READ MORE from Fox Business.
People are not appreciating what this means.
You cannot build weapons, drones, radars, cars, smartphones, laptops, MRI machines, CT scans, etc. without rare earth minerals.
China has a >95% control over these minerals and their refinement, and has chosen to stop exporting… pic.twitter.com/OzJUFheBia
— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) April 14, 2025
The New York Times published a chilling report Wednesday morning, titled, “How China Took Over the World’s Rare Earths Industry.”
The report details actions China took in 2010 to take control of the rare earths mineral industry. The report explains:
The world was put on notice, especially Japan and the United States, two of China’s biggest customers for rare earth metals used in everything from cars to smartphones to missiles. Governments from both countries drafted detailed plans for how to mitigate their dependence on China. Japan has largely followed through on its plans and today can source the minerals from Australia.
Not the United States. Even after 15 years, the country is still almost entirely reliant on China for the processing of rare earth metals. As a result, American automakers, aerospace companies and defense contractors have been left vulnerable.
How China Took Over the World’s Rare Earths Industry https://t.co/sdHnIzg8Ie
Our leaders – on both sides, are either clueless or corrupt. How stupid can you be? @realDonaldTrump @JoeBiden @BarackObama— mark toner (@tonerisms) April 16, 2025
WATCH THIS:
This is not talked about nearly enough.
We used to be the dominant player in rare earth, now we are nearly completely reliant on China. China dominates refineries and controls nearly 100% of heavy rare earth production.
It’s time to bring mining and refineries back. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/mCwW5shRYz
— Starson 🇺🇸🚀🇺🇸 (@DrStarson) April 16, 2025
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