"Japan is deeply concerned about the extensive export restrictions on rare earths announced by China last week, and the G7 should unite in dealing with the issue," Katsunobu Kato told reporters in Washington.
Beijing announced on October 9 new controls on the export of rare-earth technologies and items.
China is the world's leading producer of the minerals used to make magnets crucial to the auto, electronic and defence industries.
They have been a major sticking point in trade negotiations between China and the United States.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday slammed the new curbs as "China versus the world", vowing that Washington and its allies would "neither be commanded nor controlled".
Bessent and Kato's comments came as global economic leaders gather in Washington this week for the International Monetary Fund's and World Bank's fall meetings.
Besides the United States and Japan, the G7 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Britain.
US Treasury chief: Beijing's rare earths move is 'China vs world'
Washington (AFP) Oct 15, 2025 -
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent slammed Beijing's rare earth export curbs Wednesday as "China versus the world," vowing that Washington and its allies would "neither be commanded nor controlled."
"This should be a clear sign to our allies that we must work together, and work together we will," Bessent told reporters at a press conference. "We are not going to let a group of bureaucrats in Beijing try to manage the global supply chains."
His comments came as global economic leaders gather in Washington this week for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's fall meetings.
"We should work together to de-risk and diversify our supply chains away from China as quickly as possible," Bessent urged.
He later told a press roundtable that Washington was "already in talks" with partners on potential ways to push back.
Bessent spoke days after Beijing announced fresh controls on the export of rare earth technologies and items.
China is the world's leading producer of the minerals used to make magnets crucial to the auto, electronic and defense industries.
Bessent told a forum hosted by CNBC earlier Wednesday that he planned to speak with European allies, Australia, Canada, India and other Asian democracies, signaling a push for broader support beyond the Group of Seven advanced economies.
"We're going to have a fulsome group response to this," he added.
But he maintained that Washington would rather not take substantial actions to retaliate against China, expecting that more talks with Beijing will be forthcoming this week.
- Longer tariff truce? -
A trade war between Washington and Beijing has reignited in US President Donald Trump's second term, with tit-for-tat duties reaching triple-digit levels at one point, snarling supply chains.
Both sides have de-escalated tariff levels but their truce remains shaky and is set to expire in early November.
With the latest controls surrounding rare earths, Trump has threatened an additional 100-percent tariff on goods from China starting November 1.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer warned at Wednesday's press briefing that US plans for a tariff hike or other export controls are in the works.
But he expressed hope that China would back off its rare earth curbs.
Bessent said an extension of the pause in steep tariffs was possible -- in return for a delay in rare earth controls.
"Is it possible that we could go to a longer roll in return for a delay? Perhaps," Bessent said. "But all that is going to be negotiated in the coming weeks, before the leaders meet in (South) Korea."
The leaders of the world's two biggest economies are expected to hold talks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit starting later this month.
Bessent earlier told CNBC that Trump still planned to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the summit.
Greer said Wednesday that "this is not just about the United States."
"China's announcement is nothing more than a global supply chain power grab," he said. "This move is not proportional retaliation. It is an exercise in economic coercion on every country in the world."
Rare earths: strategic metals key to future tech
Beijing (AFP) Oct 16, 2025 -
Rare earths are minerals used to make magnets crucial to the auto, electronic and defence industries, as well as in renewable energy.
The US Treasury Secretary slammed export curbs imposed by Beijing last week on technologies used for rare-earth mining, smelting, and other processing steps.
Scott Bessent said on Thursday it was "China versus the world". Here are some key things to know:
- Are they rare? -
Not really. With names like dysprosium, neodymium and cerium, rare earths are a group of 17 heavy metals that are abundant throughout the Earth's crust.
The United States Geological Survey estimated in 2024 there were 110 million tonnes of deposits worldwide.
That includes 44 million in China -- by far the world's largest producer.
A further 22 million tonnes are estimated in Vietnam and 21 million in Brazil, while Russia has 10 million and India nearly seven million tonnes.
But mining the metals requires heavy chemical use that results in toxic waste and has caused several environmental disasters.
Many countries are also wary of shouldering the high financial costs for production.
The minerals are often found in minute ore concentrations, meaning large amounts of rock must be processed to produce the refined product, often in powder form.
- Why are they special? -
The 17 rare earths are found in a wide variety of everyday and high-tech devices, from light bulbs to guided missiles.
Europium is crucial for television screens, cerium is used for polishing glass and refining oil, lanthanum makes a car's catalytic converters operate -- the list of uses in today's economy is virtually endless.
All have unique properties that are largely irreplaceable or can be substituted only at prohibitive costs.
Neodymium and dysprosium, for example, allow the fabrication of almost permanent, super-strong magnets that require little maintenance -- making viable the placement of ocean wind turbines to generate electricity far from the coastline.
- China in the lead -
For decades, China has made the most of its reserves by investing massively in refining operations, often without the strict environmental oversight required elsewhere.
Beijing has also filed a huge number of patents on rare earth production, an obstacle to companies in other countries hoping to launch large-scale processing.
As a result, many firms find it cheaper to ship their ore to China for refining, reinforcing the world's reliance.
Beijing began in April requiring domestic exporters to apply for a licence, seen as a response to US tariffs that sparked alarm in Washington over slower supplies of rare earths.
In June, US President Donald Trump hailed a deal that would see China provide the vital elements "up front".
But supply chains had not fully stabilised, with bureaucratic delays and selective approval still preventing many firms from ensuring timely access to the materials -- even before China expanded its restrictions.
- Strategy and supply -
The United States and European Union get most of their supply from China.
Both are trying to boost their own production and better recycle what they use to reduce dependence on Beijing.
At the height of a US-China trade dispute in 2019, Chinese state media suggested that rare earth exports to the United States could be cut in retaliation for American measures, sparking fear among manufacturers.
Back in 2010, Japan saw first-hand the pain of a cut-off, when China halted rare earth exports over a territorial conflict.
Since then, Tokyo has pushed hard to diversify supplies, signing deals with the Australian group Lynas for production from Malaysia, and ramping up its recycling capabilities.
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