China’s Rare Earth Clampdown Sparks Trade War Shockwaves in Tech and Stocks
China’s latest restrictions on rare earth exports mark a major escalation in the strategic trade standoff with the United States. On October 9, 2025, Beijing’s Ministry of Commerce unveiled “Announcement No. 61”, dramatically tightening export controls on a range of critical rare-earth elementsaljazeera.com. Five additional rare-earth metals – holmium, erbium, thulium, europium and ytterbium – were added to China’s export control list, on top of seven elements already restricted since Aprilaljazeera.com. In effect, 12 out of the 17 rare earth elements are now subject to Chinese export licensing and quotasaljazeera.com. These metals might sound obscure, but they are fundamental ingredients in modern high-tech manufacturing and defense. By expanding the list, China has for the first time placed well over half of the rare-earth periodic table off-limits without special permission.
