“We Won’t Be Bossed Around”: US Turns up Heat on China as Rare-Earths Fight Escalates

With input from Bloomberg, CNBC, Axios, Reuters, and BBC.

Washington is pushing back hard after Beijing moved to tighten the spigot on rare-earth exports. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer blasted China’s new curbs as a “global supply-chain power grab,” while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US and its allies “will neither be commanded nor controlled.”

The sharper rhetoric follows China’s surprise announcement of broader controls on rare-earth minerals and related tech — materials that sit inside everything from EVs and smartphones to defense gear. Greer said the only off-ramp for Beijing is to drop the restrictions; otherwise, President Donald Trump is ready to slap 100% tariffs on Chinese goods and layer on export controls for “any and all critical software.”

Despite several rounds of talks, Beijing still hasn’t approved the sale of TikTok US, resumed soybean purchases, or eased its export rules. US officials say some automakers report magnet shipments already slowing — signs the squeeze is biting. Bessent called the move “provocative,” adding that Washington is coordinating a joint response with Europe, Australia, Canada, India and other partners:

“This is China versus the world.”

Greer argued the new controls undercut a spring truce — he waved a copy of the “Geneva agreement,” which tied lower US tariffs to continued access to Chinese rare earths. For now, both sides have threats drafted but not executed, and the US is keeping a 90-day tariff pause alive if China backs down.

There’s still a diplomatic lane. Bessent said plans remain for a Trump–Xi meeting in South Korea later this month and that he’s “optimistic this can be de-escalated.” But the message from Washington was plain: if Beijing proves unreliable on critical inputs, the US is prepared to harden tariffs, tighten controls, and accelerate a partner-led work-around to China-centric supply chains.