China The ban on exports of rare earth processing technologies is the latest sign of the president’s administration Xi Jinping It is fighting against the imposed restrictions America To sell advanced computer chips to companies in Asian countries.
The new restrictions could further exacerbate geopolitical tensions between the two China Y America Its partners to control global resources and technology supply chains. For many in the West, they will underline Beijing’s dominance of one of the world’s most important resources.
China Controls much of the supply chain for rare earths, key ingredients used in clean energy and defense products.
He Beijing Ministry of Commerce It banned the export of technologies used to extract and separate rare earths. He did not immediately provide an explanation for the move.
The ban comes after Chinese authorities this year began demanding additional export permits for gallium, germanium and graphite, whose supply is largely controlled by Beijing and is key to manufacturing technology.
In recent months, Chinese officials have emphasized national security as the main reason for the restrictions; However, many experts see them as evidence that Beijing is using its dominance over global cleantech supply chains to respond to trade restrictions extended by the US president’s administration. Joe Biden.
Under Biden, Washington’s restrictions have expanded from the sale of cutting-edge chip technology to China to barring Chinese battery and electric vehicle manufacturers from generous US government subsidies.
As stated therein International Energy Agency (IEA), China accounts for about 60 percent of global rare earth mining production, but about 90 percent of processing and refining.
Policymakers in Washington and Brussels have long been concerned about China’s over-reliance on rare earths and many materials and resources used in clean technologies.
With strong government support, non-Chinese production of rare earth oxides nearly quadrupled to 90,000 tonnes in the seven years to 2022, but China maintains its dominance, doubling its own production.
The AIE It also predicts that global demand will increase sevenfold in the two decades to 2040, driven by a shift from carbon-intensive energy production and transport to cleaner electricity generation and electric vehicles.
The company noted that countries take more than 15 years to develop mining projects from discovery to first production, raising questions about how quickly Western countries can rid themselves of Chinese products.
With info: Nian Liu in Beijing
