Christina Lu
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen looks on during a press conference at the end of a European Council summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels on April 18, 2024.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen looks on during a press conference at the end of a European Council summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels on April 18, 2024.
Washington and Beijing’s bitter trade spat over rare earths—the powerful elements that are crucial to defense and other advanced technologies—has left vulnerable European leaders worried that they could be next.
Decades of Chinese government investment in the country’s domestic industry have allowed China to command the global supply chains for rare earths, with Beijing establishing a chokehold over 85 percent of processing and more than 90 percent of magnet production. When U.S. President Donald Trump launched his trade war in April, China fired back by leveraging that dominance and restricting rare-earth exports—delivering a sharp warning not only to the White House but to all of Beijing’s trade partners.
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