China’s monopoly on rare earths has Europe begging

Germany is sounding the alarm over access to rare earth elements, the critical materials used in chips, electric vehicles, wind turbines, advanced electronics, and modern weapons systems.

During high-level talks in China, German officials emphasized:

“We need reliability and stability for German and European companies. The unjustified application of export controls constitutes a serious threat to the world economy.”

China currently controls 90% of global rare-earth processing, giving it near-total leverage over the world’s clean-energy and high-tech industries.

Beijing responded by saying it is willing to maintain stable supply chains, including rare earths, but questions remain over what conditions or political concessions may be expected in return.

Both sides released a joint statement highlighting their desire to safeguard global industrial chains — yet the underlying tension is unmistakable.

🧩 Without rare earths, major German industries could slow down or even grind to a halt, putting the entire European manufacturing base at risk.