China bats on rare earth elements to counter trade dispute with US

China is willing to meet reasonable demand for rare earth from other countries, but it would be unacceptable that countries using Chinese rare earth to manufacture products would turn around and suppress China, its commerce ministry said. That would be unacceptable, Gao Feng, a spokesman at the Chinese commerce ministry, said at a weekly media briefing on Thursday, without identifying any country.

President Xi Jinping's visit to a rare earth plant last week had sparked speculation that China would use its dominant position as an exporter of rare earth to the United States as leverage in the trade war. Rare earth are a group of 17 chemical elements used in everything from high-tech consumer electronics to military equipment.