# China has tightened export controls on rare earths and other materials critical for advanced tech manufacturing. The country processes around 90-percent of the world’s rare earths, needed for everything from solar panels to smartphones. Beijing said the regulations are intended to safeguard national security. The new control measures could have a major impact in the US, which has a significant rare earths mining industry but lacks processing facilities. It is a key bargaining chip ahead of an expected meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump this month.
China tightens export rules for crucial rare earths