In a bind over rare earths, Europe watches US-China tussle from the sidelines

In a conference centre in The Hague last October, a roomful of Asia-watching European officials and experts were gathered for a symposium on relations with China when news broke that Beijing was expanding export controls on rare earths and other minerals. Crucially, there was now an extraterritorial element: China could deny exports not only to direct buyers, but also restrict products made in third countries if they contained Chinese-origin rare earth content or controlled inputs. In practice,...