Valuable rare elements used in mobile phones and electric vehicles are now subject to restrictions on worldwide sales set by China. These minerals are found 90% in China.

The new tax decisions by President Donald Trump of the United States have been met with criticism from many countries.

In a statement from China, one of the countries facing the highest additional taxes, it was announced that 7 categories of medium and heavy rare metals including samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, yttrium, and alloys will be placed on the export control list starting from April 4. Within this scope, Chinese suppliers will only be able to export these rare earth elements with government permission. Furthermore, Chinese customs officials may seize shipments suspected of containing restricted elements. USED IN A WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS These elements that China supplies a significant portion of in global supply are used in a wide array of products ranging from mobile phones to electric vehicles, from weapons systems to high-performance engines, from nuclear reactors to electronic and optical equipment, from spacecraft to medical imaging devices, and from batteries and fuel cells to semiconductors and superconductors. 90% FOUND IN CHINA China, which produces approximately 90% of the 17 rare earth elements, has once again shown its intention to turn its global dominance in this field into an economic advantage with export restrictions. The Beijing administration, in response to the chip restrictions imposed by the U.S. on December 3, 2024, had banned the export to the U.S. of rare earth elements such as gallium, germanium, and antimony, widely used in defense and weapons systems, and had implemented restrictions on the export of graphite and derivatives commonly used in battery and fuel cell production, defense, and aerospace sectors. INCREASE IN “RECIPROCAL TARIFF” FROM THE US President Donald Trump had announced that he would impose an additional 34% customs tariff on China under the “reciprocal tariff.” The Washington administration had announced that in addition to the basic tariff of 10%, a total of 34% additional customs tariff, with 24% being the “reciprocal tariff,” would be imposed on China. With the new tariff increases, the minimum customs tariff imposed by the U.S. on imports from China had reached up to 54%. The Beijing administration stated that it would apply an equal additional tariff in response to the 34% tariff increase imposed by the U.S. under the “reciprocal tariffs,” and had also announced sanctions against U.S. companies.