China's latest export controls on rare earths are expected to have a direct impact on the global semiconductor supply chain, complicating the production of AI and memory chips from major US and South Korean suppliers, according to analysts. On Thursday, China's Ministry of Commerce imposed a raft of new export controls on rare earth materials critical for the chip manufacturing process. It imposed restrictions on the export of technologies related to rare earth production, such as mining, smelting and sep ...

BEIJING (Reuters) -China tightened its rare earth export controls on Thursday, expanding restrictions on processing technology, unauthorised overseas cooperation and spelling out its intention to limit exports to overseas defence and semiconductor users. Exports of technology used to mine and process rare earths or make the associated magnets is barred without permission, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. Many of these technologies are already restricted and it was not immediately clear what t ...