appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Sherry Wang

Mia Nurmamat

China’s exports of key materials to Japan remained on a downward trend in August, with shipment volume of rare earth magnets falling 17.1 per cent from a year earlier, according to the latest customs data.
China exported about 212 tonnes of rare earth permanent magnets to Japan last month, down from nearly 256 tonnes a year earlier, according to Chinese customs data released on Sunday. That followed a 52.2 per cent year-on-year plunge in July.
Other rare earth products and critical materials also recorded declines last month. Exports of rare earth metals to Japan fell 11.2 per cent year on year, while exports of rare earth compounds dropped 48 per cent. Exports of natural flake graphite and other natural graphite fell 36.5 per cent and 77.1 per cent, respectively, while exports of unwrought tungsten plunged 94.7 per cent.
The extended decline comes amid deteriorating ties between Beijing and Tokyo since late last year, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made controversial remarks on Taiwan.
Beijing has since taken a series of steps to curb economic ties with Japan, from warning Chinese citizens against travelling to the neighbouring country to tightening export curbs on “dual-use” items, referring to goods that have both civilian and military applications.
China banned exports of dual-use items to Japan in January and subsequently added 40 Japanese entities to its export control list.
Zhou Mi, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, a think tank under China’s Ministry of Commerce, described August’s decline as “a normal reaction under the current system of rare-earth export controls on Japan”.
“The controls have raised concerns among market participants, and they are adjusting their expectations accordingly,” he said, adding that the shift in expectations “presents a very tangible shock for Japanese firms”.
China’s exports of rare earths and related products to Japan were unlikely to see meaningful improvement if Takaichi’s stance towards China continued, he added.
Rare earth magnets are critical components in electric-vehicle motors, wind turbines, certain consumer-electronics products and advanced defence applications. China is the world’s largest supplier of the magnets, as well as rare earth materials more broadly.
As trade tensions with the West have escalated, Beijing has increasingly used its dominance in rare earths and other critical minerals as a source of leverage in economic and trade relations.

Japan ranked seventh among destinations for Chinese rare earth magnet exports in August by volume, with Germany, South Korea and the US being the top three.
China’s shipments of rare earth magnets to the US declined 13.2 per cent year on year to 512 tonnes in August, despite Beijing resuming approvals for some rare earth shipments and easing some restrictions on critical-material exports following trade negotiations in November.
Shipments to Germany fell 22.4 per cent by volume, while total shipments to EU member states declined about 21 per cent, based on calculations by the South China Morning Post based on customs data.
Overall, China’s rare earth exports by volume fell by 18.25 per cent year on year in August.


China’s trade limits continue to bite into Japan’s imports of rare earths, other minerals

China’s GoPro rival Insta360 opens first US flagship store in New York’s Times Square

Global monetary tightening tests China’s 2-speed economy

From US Fed rates to China’s global export share: 4 figures shaping markets

China exports

China is the world’s largest supplier of rare earth permanent magnets, as well as rare earth materials more broadly. Photo: AP Photo

A machine shifts soil containing rare earth minerals at a port in Lianyungang, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province. Photo: AFP

China strategic mineral exports to US rise as Japan shipments plunge

China’s shipments of strategic minerals to the United States rose in July, but fell sharply to Japan amid escalating geopolitical tensions. Photo: Shutterstock

China’s exports of strategic minerals to the United States showed signs of recovery in July after Beijing eased some restrictions. Photo: Shutterstock

Elon Musk says Tesla has a rare-earth-free motor. Should China be worried?

Tesla’s Cybercab, also known as the Robotaxi, is a two-passenger self-driving car which is fully autonomous with no steering wheel or pedals. Photo: TNS

Brazil’s rare earths will not loosen China’s magnet grip this decade, researchers say

Serra Verde is Brazil’s only operating rare earth mine. Photo: AP

From left: Jose Luiz Ubaldino de Lima, Andre Pimenta de Faria, Jorge Boeira, Luis Gonzaga Trabasso and Pablo Silva Cesario discuss Brazil’s rare earths industry at Exposibram. Photo: IBRAM/Handout

Pablo Silva Cesario, chief executive of the Brazilian Mining Institute, at the Exposibram mining congress. Photo: IBRAM/Handout

Luis Gonzaga Trabasso of Senai discusses Brazil’s efforts to develop a domestic permanent magnet industry. Photo: IBRAM/Handout

Economy

Rare earth magnet imports fall 17 per cent, following a 52 per cent plunge in July, amid deteriorating ties between Beijing and Tokyo


Rare earth magnet imports fall 17 per cent, following a 52 per cent plunge in July, amid deteriorating ties between Beijing and Tokyo.


China’s trade limits continue to bite into Japan’s imports of rare earths, other minerals

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Rare earth magnet imports fall 17 per cent, following a 52 per cent plunge in July, amid deteriorating ties between Beijing and Tokyo

Rare earth magnet imports fall 17 per cent, following a 52 per cent plunge in July, amid deteriorating ties between Beijing and Tokyo