Chinese media organizations, including the flagship Communist Party newspaper, strongly hinted Wednesday that Beijing is about to use its dominance of the rare earths market to strike back at the U.S. in the growing trade war. Rare earths, a group of 17 chemical elements, are used to make smartphones and other electronics, military equipment, and electric vehicles, among other goods, and the U.S. relies on China for about 80 percent of its supply. President Trump's administration excluded rare earths from its list of Chinese imports subject to tariffs.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's visits to a rare earths plant with his lead trade negotiator last week sparked speculation that China was getting ready to use its dominance of the rare earths market as leverage in the trade war. The editor in chief of the Communist Party-affiliated Global Times newspaper tweeted that China is "seriously" considering restricting rare earths exports to the U.S., and an official at the state planning agency dropped a similar hint.
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