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US treasury: Beijing’s rare earths move is ‘China vs world’

The Star

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October 17, 2025

US TREASURY Secretary Scott Bessent slammed Beijing's rare earth export curbs this as "China versus the world," vowing that Washington and its allies would "neither be commanded nor controlled.

"This should be a clear sign to our allies that we must work together, and work together we will," Bessent told reporters at a press conference.

"We are not going to let a group of bureaucrats in Beijing try to manage the global supply chains."

His comments came as global economic leaders gather in Washington this week for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's fall meetings.

"We should work together to de-risk and diversify our supply chains away from China as quickly as possible," Bessent urged.

He later told a press roundtable that Washington was "already in talks" with partners on potential ways to push back.

Bessent spoke days after Beijing announced fresh controls on the export of rare earth technologies and items.

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