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2d ago

Global Powers Race to Break China’s Rare Earth Monopoly

China’s June export rebound has been matched by covert 2025 quotas alongside intensified spy crackdowns, prompting the United States, the European Union, Japan plus India to shore up alternative rare earth sources

Visitors give commands to a robot at Nvidia's booth during the 3rd China International Supply Chain Expo at the China International Exhibition Center, in Beijing, China, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
Ren Limin, a worker at the Jinyuan Company's smelting workshop, prepares to pour the rare earth metal Lanthanum into a mould near the town of Damao in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region October 31, 2010. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo
Visitors walk in front of a CATL Naxtra battery is seen at a CATL booth during the 3rd China International Supply Chain Expo at the China International Exhibition Center, in Beijing, China, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
A visitor looks at Quantum-X800 infiniBand networking platform at the Nvidia booth during the 3rd China International Supply Chain Expo at the China International Exhibition Center, in Beijing, China, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Overview

  • China’s customs data show exports of rare earths jumped 60.3% year-on-year to 7,742 tonnes in June after license backlogs were cleared.
  • Unannounced 2025 mining and smelting quotas have been quietly issued by Beijing to tighten its control over output.
  • The Ministry of State Security says it will intensify crackdowns on espionage and smuggling efforts targeting China’s critical minerals.
  • The US Department of Defense became the largest stakeholder in MP Materials with a multibillion-dollar investment to secure domestic rare earth production.
  • US lawmakers are moving the Rare Earth Magnet Security Act and Critical Minerals Security Act through Congress as Japan-EU procurement talks launch and India’s PMO convenes on magnet shortages.