China Shores Up Trade War Leverage With Rare Earth Curbs

China is bringing it on. The country has unveiled broad new curbs on its rare earth exports, as Beijing moves to shore up its trade war leverage ahead of a high-stakes meeting this month between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

Overseas exporters of items that use even traces of certain rare earths sourced from China will now need a license, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement Thursday, citing national security grounds. Certain equipment and engineering technology will also be subject to controls, according to a separate release.