Xi Risks Global Blowback If China Curbs Rare Earths to Japan

From warning tourists to halting seafood imports, China has followed a well-worn playbook in punishing Japan for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks linking a Taiwan conflict to her country’s security. But one weapon remains conspicuously holstered: rare earths.

It’s a lever that China has used against Japan before. Back in 2010, a territorial dispute prompted an effective embargo from Beijing that sent Tokyo scrambling for alternatives to the materials, which are critical for making electric vehicles, smartphones and missiles.