In its trade dispute with the US, China is using rare earths as a strategic lever. The lion's share of the rare earths processed in Germany comes from China, and this is precisely where the problem lies: As a result of the tariffs dispute with the US,

China “made a real mistake” by threatening to shut off exports of its rare earths, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the Financial Times in an interview published on Friday. U.S. and Chinese leaders had reached an “equilibrium” but warned that China would not be able to keep using its critical minerals as a coercive tool,

Lynas Rare Earths will build a new heavy rare-earth separation facility in Malaysia to meet demand from buyers looking to source the critical minerals from outside of China.

Get live updates and the latest news as Trump concludes Asia trip after meeting Xi Jinping in South Korea and the government shutdown continues.

Japan and the United States agreed to a deal on new-generation nuclear power reactors and rare earths, as Tokyo seeks a way back to export markets for its nuclear technology and both look to reduce China's dominance over key electronic components.