China touts 14 minerals, U.S. bars chips
- China’s Ministry of Natural Resources said Wednesday that the country ranks first in reserves of 14 minerals and led 2025 output in 17. - The list includes rare earths, gallium, germanium and graphite, with 11 minerals accounting for more than half of global output. - The claims land as Washington keeps chip controls and House Democrats press Trump to block Chinese autos. (bis.gov)
China said Wednesday it holds the world’s largest reserves of 14 minerals and led output in 17 mineral categories in 2025. (chinadaily.com.cn) China’s Ministry of Natural Resources named rare earths, tungsten, tin, molybdenum, antimony, gallium, germanium, indium, fluorite and graphite among the minerals where its reserves rank first. (chinadaily.com.cn) (china.org.cn) The ministry also said China ranked first in 2025 production of 17 minerals, and that output of 11 of them made up more than half the global total. (chinadaily.com.cn) Those materials sit upstream of batteries, magnets, chipmaking and defense supply chains. Gallium and germanium, for example, are used in semiconductors, telecom gear and other electronics. (congress.gov) (chinadaily.com.cn) The U.S. side of the standoff has shifted from blanket bans to tighter licensing on top-end chips. In January, the Commerce Department said exports of Nvidia H200, Advanced Micro Devices MI325X and similar chips to China would be reviewed case by case. (bis.gov) To qualify, exporters must show the sales will not reduce supply available to U.S. customers, that Chinese buyers have compliance procedures, and that the chips were independently tested in the United States. (bis.gov) A separate fight is opening in autos. Representative Debbie Dingell and 73 other House Democrats urged President Donald Trump on April 28 to keep Chinese automakers from building or selling vehicles in the United States. (debbiedingell.house.gov) (usnews.com) The lawmakers asked Trump to keep tariffs in place, block Chinese-owned vehicle production in North America from using United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement benefits, and widen restrictions on Chinese-connected vehicle technology. (debbiedingell.house.gov) Reuters reported that the push came before a planned Trump-Xi meeting in May, while the Chinese Embassy in Washington said the United States should stop using national security to justify exclusionary measures. (usnews.com) Taken together, the latest moves show the contest widening across raw materials, advanced chips and consumer markets at the same time. (chinadaily.com.cn) (bis.gov) (debbiedingell.house.gov)
