China moves against US rare earth, defence firms in ‘calibrated’ response to Pentagon blacklist

SINGAPORE – US-China tensions over the use of commercial technology for military purposes have flared anew, with Beijing imposing export controls on 10 American companies, in what analysts view as a calibrated response to Washington’s expansion of a Pentagon blacklist targeting Chinese firms and their subsidiaries. While seen as largely symbolic, observers say the move is notable because it targets companies at the heart of US efforts to build an independent rare earth supply chain, in addition to those firms in the defence and aerospace sectors – underscoring how critical minerals remain a strategic pressure point in the broader US-China…