China is seizing control of critical minerals including rare earth that go into the making of electric vehicles (EVs), its batteries and a range of electronic products for civilian and military uses, according to analysts. Chinese companies in recent months have stepped up efforts to procure the minerals from diverse places like Myanmar, Vietnam, Morocco and Congo, according to several reports.
China’s quest for a larger share of critical minerals is significant because it is expected to use them as retaliatory tools against the U.S. if Washington decides to dramatically increase tariffs on Chinese goods, as President-elect Donald Trump has said he would do, according to analysts who spoke to VOA.
“Rare earths are a powerful tool China will use to retaliate against the Trump administration if the tariff war escalates,” Zhiqun Zhu, political scientist at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, told VOA in an emailed interview.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce recently announced tighter control over exporting several rare earth minerals to the U.S.
Credit: Voice of America (VOA), Photo Credit Associated Press (AP)
来源：https://www.newdelhitimes.com/china-may-use-rare-earth-to-retaliate-against-us-say-analysts/
