Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen called for a “tough response” from the European Union to China’s new export controls on rare earths, telling reporters before an EU trade ministers’ meeting in Horsens that the bloc should “stick together” with Washington and “flex the muscles.”
Beijing announced stringent licensing rules for products containing even minimal amounts of Chinese rare earth elements and said exports for overseas military use would “in principle” be banned. The metals are key for electric vehicles, wind turbines and defense technologies, and China accounts for about 70% of global mining and 90% of refining.
Rasmussen rejected imposing retaliatory tariffs on Chinese goods, saying the EU should keep “frank and open discussions” with Beijing while maintaining leverage.
EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič condemned the “unjustified” measures and said the EU must accelerate efforts to reduce strategic dependence on China. He noted G7 finance ministers would discuss the issue in Washington and that he aims to speak with China’s commerce minister Wang Wentao next week.
