China Rare Earths Issue Remains Unresolved, US Lawmaker Says

Rare earth oxides.

Photographer: Peter Kollanyi/Bloomberg

The US-China dispute over Beijing’s control of rare earth supplies has yet to be resolved, the head of a visiting US congressional delegation said after meeting Chinese officials, signaling a key irritant persists in bilateral relations.

Representative Adam Smith described continuing challenges on the matter in a press briefing on Tuesday in the Chinese capital, where he’s leading the first official visit by US House lawmakers since 2019 as relations steady before a potential meeting between the countries’ presidents.