The European Union is “worried” by China’s move to tighten restrictions on rare earth minerals, with senior figures saying the controls will compound the deterioration in trade relations that have only “worsened” since a summit in July.
On Thursday, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced a sweeping “upgrade” of rare earth licensing requirements that have been in place since April, expanding them to cover the export of technologies used to process the minerals.
The move also tightens licensing…