Headlines
EU lawmakers rebuke China over rare earth curbs before summit
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 10, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 10, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
The EU Parliament condemned China's rare earth export restrictions, urging the EU to resist coercion. The issue will be a key topic at the upcoming EU-China summit.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Parliament condemned China on Thursday over its export restrictions on rare earths and insisted the European Union must reject any attempts by Beijing to use the restrictions to force concessions from the bloc.
Two weeks before an EU-China summit at which rare earths are set to be a key topic, EU lawmakers backed a motion saying that China's action was unjustified and had coercive intent and that its "quasi-monopolistic position" gave it enormous leverage.
The European Parliament approved the motion by 523 in favour to 75 against, with 14 abstentions. The motion is non-binding but influential, since the parliament is the EU's only directly elected institution.
China, which mines about 60% of the world's rare earths and makes 90% of rare earth magnets used in everything from automobiles to home appliances, imposed restrictions in early April requiring exporters to obtain licenses from Beijing.
The parliamentary motion urged China to lift the restrictions, imposed in the midst of a trade war with the United States, while noting that Beijing had established "green lanes" to simplify the process for European companies.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi downplayed European worries in Berlin last week, saying it was standard practice to control exports of goods that could have a military use, but that Europe's needs could be met if applications were submitted.
The EU lawmakers also called on the European Union to back up its 2030 targets for domestic mining and processing critical mineral projects with a specific budget, and to assess minimum required levels of strategic stocks of rare earths.
(Reporting by Milan Strahm, editing by Philip Blenkinsop and Aidan Lewis)
The European Parliament condemned China for its export restrictions on rare earths, stating that the actions were unjustified and had coercive intent.
The motion was approved by 523 votes in favor, 75 against, with 14 abstentions. Although non-binding, it holds significant influence within the EU.
China mines about 60% of the world's rare earths and produces 90% of rare earth magnets used in various industries.
EU lawmakers called for the European Union to support its 2030 targets for domestic mining and processing of critical minerals with a specific budget.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi downplayed European worries, stating that controlling exports of goods with potential military use is standard practice.
Explore more articles in the Headlines category
