Overview
- Beijing’s expanded export controls now require state licenses for rare‑earth materials and permanent magnets, tightening supplies to global manufacturers.
- European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen cautioned that a critical raw‑materials crisis is near, as Vice‑President Maroš Šefčovič moves to intensify talks with China and G7 ministers plan a late‑October meeting in Canada.
- President Donald Trump signed a multibillion‑dollar resources deal with Australia and threatened tariffs of up to 100 percent on Chinese goods, while Washington increases investment in alternative supply chains.
- Shipping lines rerouted around China after new port fees took effect on October 14, with Hapag‑Lloyd skipping Ningbo and Maersk shifting containers to South Korea for transshipment in Kwangyang on October 24, pushing freight and charter costs higher.
- China controls 61 percent of global rare‑earth mining and 92 percent of refining, and sectors from wind power and EVs to semiconductors and defense face production risks that analysts say could hit Europe especially hard.