'Foreign agents are stealing rare earths'

BEIJING: China's spy agency has accused overseas intel agencies of stealing controlled rare earth materials, reiterating its intent to curb smuggling even as Beijing agrees to review applications to export the vital industrial resource after trade talks with the US.

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Without naming any country, the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) accused foreign entities of orchestrating the trafficking of these items, which Beijing sees as a strategic asset and has used as a bargaining chip in tariff negotiations with Washington.

“In recent years, foreign espionage and intelligence agencies and their agents have attempted to collude with and incite unlawful people in the country to steal our rare earth-related items by means of mail delivery, posing a serious danger to our national security,” the ministry said in a WeChat post yesterday.