China defends rare earth export curbs as ‘legitimate,’ hits back at U.S. tariffs ahead of possible Trump-Xi meeting

China on Sunday defended its new export controls on rare earths as a “legitimate” measure under international law, pushing back against U.S. accusations of economic coercion after Washington announced sweeping retaliatory tariffs and export restrictions.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said the controls, issued Oct. 9, were part of Beijing’s effort to strengthen its export control system and “better safeguard world peace and regional stability” amid what it described as a turbulent global security environment.

The measures, which now cover not only rare earth materials but also related intellectual property and technologies, were announced just weeks before a potential meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

“These controls do not constitute export bans. Applications that meet the requirements will be approved,” a commerce ministry spokesperson said. ” China has fully assessed the potential impact of these measures on the supply chain and is confident that the impact will be very limited.”

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