Military equipment firms in the US will likely have their supply of Chinese rare earths restricted, the Global Times said yesterday, after China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) confirmed that industry experts have proposed export controls.
China is the world’s dominant producer of rare earths — a group of 17 prized minerals used in everything from consumer electronics to military equipment such as jet engines, missile guidance systems satellites and lasers.
Numerous reports from state-run Chinese media have raised the prospect that China might limit its supplies of the minerals to gain leverage in its trade dispute with the US.
The Global Times, published by the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Daily, said on its official Twitter account that US military equipment companies “are likely to face restrictions,” citing unidentified Chinese industry insiders.
China should also work out a list of foreign end-users of Chinese rare earths, it added.
The comment followed a statement from a NDRC spokeswoman earlier in the day that it would study and roll out relevant polices on rare earths as soon as possible.
The commission recently held three symposiums on rare earths to hear views from industry experts that included suggestions to enact export controls, according to a transcript of comments from spokeswoman Meng Wei (孟瑋).
China’s rare earth exports last month fell by 16 percent from April to 3,640 tonnes, according to customs data released last week.
Other proposals heard at the symposiums included accelerating the development of high-end downstream industries and establishing a “traceability mechanism” allowing every shipment of exported rare earth to be tracked, Meng said.
The government opposes any attempt to use products made with exported rare earths to suppress China’s development, Meng added.
China would also step up efforts to combat illegal rare earth mining and promote green development of the rare earth industry, she said.
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