The implementation of China's export controls on rare earths in early April has increased trade tensions with the United States. During the first month of these new restrictions, customs data reveals a 16.3% contraction in rare earth exports to the U.S., while China's overall

Despite a recent easing of some trade tensions with the United States, China is signaling a firm stance on existing export control measures, particularly those targeting strategic minerals. Recent government statements and actions indicate a heightened effort to enforce these controls, crack down on circumvention, and potentially pressure other trading

At the meeting of the WTO's Committee on Market Access on November 19 and 20, 2024, for which the meeting minutes were recently circulated, WTO Members discussed China's Export Control Law and "restrictions on trade in strategic products."

Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced that it would be conducting a national security investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 related to imports of critical minerals and their derivative products.

China has filed a request for consultations with Canada at the WTO related to Canada's potential tariffs on batteries and battery parts, semiconductors, solar products, and critical minerals, adding to its existing WTO dispute on Canadian tariffs on Chinese imports.

Today, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced tariff increases under Section 301 for imports of certain tungsten products, wafers, and polysilicon from China.

In a recent report, researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey developed a new model to assess how disruptions of critical mineral supplies may affect the U.S. economy. Using the model, they estimated that "there could be a $3.4 billion decrease in U.S. GDP if China