China halts exporting critical minerals to US that power EVs, missiles, and robots

China will pause exports of critical minerals to the United States in the country’s latest move to counteract President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Trump has set a tariff on China at a hefty 145%, which it has responded to with a 125% reciprocal tariff.

The U.S. granted tariff exemptions on laptops, smartphones, and other items. China called on the U.S. to “completely cancel” its tariffs, saying that the exemptions were a “small step” toward doing so.

However, the Trump administration said the new exemptions are a building block toward future tariffs. “So what [Trump is] doing is he’s saying they’re [high-tech products] exempt from the reciprocal tariffs, but they’re included in the semiconductor tariffs, which are coming in probably a month or two. So these are coming soon,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told ABC News.

The critical minerals and magnets exports have been halted to create a new regulatory system that could further limit what supplies American companies receive.