Editing Rare-earth element (section)

===China===
{{See also|Rare earths trade dispute}}

These concerns have intensified due to the actions of China, the predominant supplier.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Foreign Affairs |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/china/2012-04-25/china-digs-it |title=China Digs It |first=Damien |last=Ma |date=25 April 2012 |access-date=10 February 2017 |archive-date=April 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410095515/https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/china/2012-04-25/china-digs-it |url-status=live}}</ref> Specifically, China has announced regulations on exports and a crackdown on smuggling.<ref name="Livergood2010">{{cite web |author=Livergood, R. |url=http://csis.org/files/publication/101005_DIIG_Current_Issues_no22_Rare_earth_elements.pdf |title=Rare Earth Elements: A Wrench in the Supply Chain |date=5 October 2010 |publisher=Center for Strategic and International Studies |access-date=2012-03-13 |archive-date=February 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110212024126/http://csis.org/files/publication/101005_DIIG_Current_Issues_no22_Rare_earth_elements.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> On September 1, 2009, China announced plans to reduce its export quota to 35,000 tons per year in 2010–2015 to conserve scarce resources and protect the environment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manufacturing.net/article.aspx?id=215574 |title=China To Limit Rare Earths Exports |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726201410/http://www.manufacturing.net/article.aspx?id=215574 |archive-date=2011-07-26 |website=Manufacturing.net, 1 September 2009. |access-date=2010-08-30}}</ref> On October 19, 2010, ''[[China Daily]]'', citing an unnamed Ministry of Commerce official, reported that China will "further reduce quotas for rare-earth exports by 30 percent at most next year to protect the precious metals from over-exploitation."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/124853-china-to-cut-exports-of-rare-earth-minerals-vital-to-energy-tech |title=China to cut exports of 'rare earth' minerals vital to energy tech |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101021053554/http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/124853-china-to-cut-exports-of-rare-earth-minerals-vital-to-energy-tech |archive-date=2010-10-21 |website=The Hill's E{{sup |2}} Wire |author=Ben Geman |date=19 Oct 2009 |access-date=2010-10-19}}</ref> 

The government in Beijing further increased its control by forcing smaller, independent miners to merge into state-owned corporations or face closure. At the end of 2010, China announced that the first round of export quotas in 2011 for rare earths would be 14,446 tons, which was a 35% decrease from the previous first round of quotas in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |date=January 18, 2011 |url=http://thechinaperspective.com/articles/china039srareearthexportssurgeinvalue8111/index.html |author=Tony Jin |title=China's Rare Earth Exports Surge in Value |website=The China Perspective |access-date=January 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110213042905/http://thechinaperspective.com/articles/china039srareearthexportssurgeinvalue8111/index.html |archive-date=2011-02-13}}</ref> China announced further export quotas on 14 July 2011 for the second half of the year with total allocation at 30,184 tons with total production capped at 93,800 metric tons.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Zhang Qi |author2=Ding Qingfen |author3=Fu Jing |title=Rare earths export quota unchanged |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2011-07/15/content_12910072.htm |work=China Daily |date=2011-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724114258/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2011-07/15/content_12910072.htm |archive-date=2011-07-24}}</ref> In September 2011, China announced the halt in production of three of its eight major rare-earth mines, responsible for almost 40% of China's total rare-earth production.<ref name=ReutersSept611/> 

In March 2012, the US, EU, and Japan confronted China at WTO about these export and production restrictions. China responded with claims that the restrictions had environmental protection in mind.<ref name=reuters>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/china-trade-eu-idUSL5E8ED6520120313 |title=WRAPUP 4-US, EU, Japan take on China at WTO over rare earths |date=13 March 2017 |access-date=10 February 2017 |website=Reuters |archive-date=June 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626172529/https://www.reuters.com/article/china-trade-eu-idUSL5E8ED6520120313 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Distillations"/> In August 2012, China announced a further 20% reduction in production.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/08/business/china-rare-earth/index.html?section=money_news_international |author=Kevin Voigt |website=CNN |title=China cuts mines vital to tech industry |date=August 8, 2012 |access-date=August 8, 2012 |archive-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507144841/https://www.cnn.com/2012/08/08/business/china-rare-earth/index.html?section=money_news_international |url-status=live}}</ref>
The United States, Japan, and the European Union filed a joint lawsuit with the World Trade Organization in 2012 against China, arguing that China should not be able to deny such important exports.<ref name="Distillations"/>

In 2012, in response to the opening of new mines in other countries ([[Lynas]] in Australia and [[Molycorp]] in the United States), prices of rare earths dropped.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/12/23/rare_earth_non_monopoly/ |title=El Reg man: Too bad, China – I was RIGHT about hoarding rare earths |date=23 Dec 2012 |author=Tim Worstall |website=The Register |access-date=10 February 2017 |archive-date=February 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200201021147/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/12/23/rare_earth_non_monopoly/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
The price of dysprosium oxide was US$994/kg in 2011, and dropped to US$265/kg by 2014.<ref name=WTI>{{cite web |title=China scraps quotas on rare earths after WTO complaint |website=The Guardian |date=Jan 5, 2015 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/05/china-scraps-quotas-rare-earth-wto-complaint |access-date=Jan 5, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615084158/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/05/china-scraps-quotas-rare-earth-wto-complaint |archive-date=June 15, 2022}}</ref>

In August 2014, the WTO ruled that China had broken free-trade agreements, and the WTO said in the summary of key findings that "the overall effect of the foreign and domestic restrictions is to encourage domestic extraction and secure preferential use of those materials by Chinese manufacturers." China declared that it would implement the ruling on September 26, 2014, but would need some time to do so. By January 5, 2015, China had lifted all quotas from the export of rare earths, but export licenses will still be required.<ref name=WTO>{{cite web |url=http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds431_e.htm |title=DS431: China — Measures Related to the Exportation of Rare Earths, Tungsten and Molybdenum |access-date=May 1, 2014 |publisher=[[World Trade Organization]] |archive-date=June 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630141201/https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds431_e.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2019, [[China]] supplied between 85% and 95% of the global demand for the 17 rare-earth powders, half of them sourced from [[Myanmar]].<ref>R. Castellano (Jun. 02, 2019). [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4267839-china-trade-invest-based-on-rare-earth-price-hikes "China Trade - Invest Based On Rare Earth Price Hikes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626125758/https://seekingalpha.com/article/4267839-china-trade-invest-based-on-rare-earth-price-hikes |date=June 26, 2022}}. ''seekingalpha.com''. Retrieved 25 February 2021.</ref> {{Dubious|date=July 2022}} After the [[2021 Myanmar coup d'état|2021 military coup]] in that country, future supplies of critical ores were possibly constrained. Additionally, it was speculated that the PRC could again reduce rare-earth exports to counter-act [[economic sanction]]s imposed by the US and EU countries. Rare-earth metals serve as crucial materials for [[electric vehicle]] manufacturing and high-tech military applications.<ref>S. Burns (Feb. 16, 2021). [https://agmetalminer.com/2021/02/16/rare-earths-are-the-next-geopolitical-chess-game/ "Rare earths are the next geopolitical chess game"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615124349/https://agmetalminer.com/2021/02/16/rare-earths-are-the-next-geopolitical-chess-game/ |date=June 15, 2022}}. ''MetalMiner.com''. Retrieved 25 February 2021.</ref>

In 2025, during the [[China–United States trade war]], China restricted exports of heavy rare earths to the United States.<ref>{{cite news |title=Why China curbing rare earth exports is a blow to the US |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1drqeev36qo |work=BBC News |date=17 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=FACTBOX What strategic mineral exports has China restricted? |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-curbs-exports-strategic-minerals-2025-02-04/ |work=Reuters |date=4 April 2025}}</ref> Between 2020 and 2023, 70% of all rare earth compounds and metals imported into the United States came from China.<ref>{{cite news |title=China has a powerful card to play in its fight against Trump’s trade war |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/15/business/china-trumps-trade-war-rare-earth-intl-hnk/index.html |work=CNN |date=April 15, 2025}}</ref>