Behind Beijing’s Rare Earth Chokehold: A New Flashpoint in the U.S.-China Trade and Tech Standoff

June 9, 2025 — In this episode of ASPI's Center for China Analysis (CCA) webinar series "China’s DeepSeek Moment," Paul Triolo, CCA honorary senior fellow on Technology; and Pascale Massot, CCA honorary fellow on Political Economy, join moderator Lizzi C. Lee, CCA fellow on Chinese Economy, to unpack how Beijing’s rare earth policy is turning raw materials into strategic tools in a high-stakes standoff with Washington. They trace the origins of China’s dominance in rare earths before turning to recent developments — from the country’s Rare Earth Management Regulations to a multi-agency enforcement campaign launched in May 2025 — that have redefined these critical materials as national security assets. Export licenses are now issued on a per-shipment basis under tight controls, creating bottlenecks that ripple through global supply chains with little relief in sight. (38 min., 27 sec.) You can find a recap of the webinar here: https://asiasociety.org/policy-instit... Additional resources: Pascale Massot's op-ed in The Diplomat: https://thediplomat.com/2025/06/the-c... Paul Triolo’s newsletter on rare earths: https://open.substack.com/pub/pstaide... Subscribe for more videos like this: http://AsiaSociety.org/YouTube --- Support Asia Society today: http://AsiaSociety.org/Donate --- Subscribe to our newsletter to stay connected: https://asiasociety.org/email-subscri... --- Facebook:   / asiasociety   Instagram:   / asiasociety   Twitter:   / asiasociety   LinkedIn:   / asia-society   #asiasociety #asiasocietypolicyinstitute #centerforchinaanalysis #china #rareearths