China’s spy agency attacks foreign efforts to ‘steal’ rare earths
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A sample of antimony is displayed at the Natural History Museum in London, Britain.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING - China’s Ministry of State Security on July 18 said foreign spy agencies had tried to “steal” rare earths and pledged to crack down on infiltration and espionage targeted at its critical mineral sector.
Foreign intelligence agencies and their agents had colluded with “domestic lawbreakers” to steal rare earth-related items from China, posing a serious threat to China’s national security, the spy agency said in a statement on its WeChat account without naming any specific country.
The ministry said it had detected attempts by an unnamed country to bypass export restrictions by forging labels, falsifying cargo manifests and transshipping cargoes, where products are routed through third countries before going to their final destination.
In July, Reuters reported exclusively that unusually large quantities of antimony – a chemical metal used in batteries, chips and flame retardants – appeared to have been transshipped into the United States via Thailand and Mexico after China banned US exports.
China added several rare earths and related magnets to its export restriction list in early April 2025, in retaliation for US tariffs.
The decision rattled global supply chains key to electric vehicles, robots and defence, forcing some automakers outside China to partially suspend production due to shortages.
However, China’s rare earths exports rose 32 per cent in June from May in a potential sign that agreements reached in June between Washington and Beijing to free up the flow of the metals are bearing fruit.
Nvidia’s planned resumption of sales of its H20 AI chips to China was part of the rare earth negotiations. REUTERS
