Beijing had already dropped a big hint that rare earths could be in the firing line by showing images last week of President Xi Jinping visiting a rare earths factory in Ganzhou, central China. China produces more than 95 percent of the world's rare earths, and the United States relies on China for upwards of 80 percent of its imports. Rare earths are 17 elements critical to manufacturing everything from smartphones and televisions to cameras and lightbulbs. The Global Times acknowledged that using rare earths as leverage could be risky. "If China decides to ban rare earths export to the US, it would produce complex effects, including incurring certain losses on China itself," it said.

Source: Bangkok Post May 29, 2019 05:03 UTC