RE: NEWS19 May 2026 21:14
AI overview on china grip on rare earth metals, clearly no red flags here:-
* 2005–06: China starts export quotas, taxes and licensing restrictions on rare earths.
* 2010: After the Japan maritime dispute, China effectively halts rare earth exports to Japan for weeks — first major “weaponisation” moment. Prices explode globally.
* 2011–14: Beijing tightens state control and consolidates the industry. US/EU/Japan take China to the WTO and win in 2014.
* 2015: China removes WTO-illegal export quotas but replaces them with production quotas, environmental controls and tighter state oversight.
* 2020: China passes its Export Control Law, giving Beijing formal legal power to restrict strategic minerals/technology exports.
* 2021: China Rare Earth Group created — massive state consolidation of the sector.
* 2023+: China starts restricting rare earth processing technology exports, not just the metals themselves.
* 2024–25: Expanded export licensing and controls tied directly to the US-China tech war.