China’s 2025 Rare-Earth Export Controls Expose EU Supply-Chain Fragility
China’s April and October 2025 rare-earth export controls, introduced in response to US tariffs and framed as national security measures, highlighted the EU’s heavy dependence on Chinese REE production, refining, and magnet supply. Although the second wave was suspended until November 2026, the episode intensified price and supply risks and accelerated EU efforts on stockpiling, diversification, and domestic value-chain projects.