China's foreign minister dismisses European worries over rare earths
Wang Yi was speaking in Berlin during a joint news conference with his German counterpart, on the second leg of a European tour seeking to lay the groundwork for a summit between EU and Chinese leaders later this month.
"Rare earths have not been, are not, and will not be a problem between China and Europe, or between China and Germany," Wang said. "If legal applications are submitted, Europe's and Germany's normal needs can be met."
China, which controls over 90% of global processing capacity for rare earths used in everything from automobiles to home appliances, had imposed restrictions in early April requiring exporters to obtain licenses from Beijing.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the restrictions were causing "great concern" and tarnishing China's image in Germany as a reliable trade partner.
"We are on the path to finding sustainable joint solutions that will bring the necessary detente," he said.
But when Wang was asked if an agreement could be reached on restrictions ahead of the EU-China summit, he said: "This is not an issue between China and Europe... controlling dual-use goods is standard practice. China and Germany both have the right to do so."
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce already has a fast-track procedure in place to ensure that normal approvals are processed as quickly as possible, he added.
Wang came to Berlin from Brussels, where he met with EU officials including the bloc's high representative for foreign policy Kaja Kallas, who also urged Wang to end rare earth export restrictions.
Wadephul said the two foreign ministers also discussed Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Taiwan and the crisis in the Middle East.
"We believe China can play a constructive role in relation to Iran," he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
43 minutes ago
- The Independent
Russia hammers Kyiv in largest missile and drone barrage since war in Ukraine began
Waves of drone and missile attacks targeted Kyiv overnight into Friday in the largest aerial attack since Russia 's war in Ukraine began, injuring 23 people and inflicting damage across multiple districts of the capital. Russia launched 550 drones and missiles across Ukraine overnight, the country's air force said. The majority were Shahed drones, while Russia used 11 missiles in the attack. Throughout the night, Associated Press journalists in Kyiv heard the constant buzzing of drones overhead and the sound of explosions and intense machine gun fire as Ukrainian forces tried to intercept the aerial assault. Kyiv was the primary target of the attack. At least 23 people were injured, with 14 hospitalized, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 270 targets, including two cruise missiles. Another 208 targets were lost from radar and presumed jammed. Russia successfully hit eight locations with nine missiles and 63 drones. Debris from intercepted drones fell across at least 33 sites. The attack came hours after President Donald Trump held a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and made his first public comments on his administration's decision to pause some shipments of weapons to Ukraine. That decision affects munitions, including Patriot missiles, the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile and shorter-range Stinger missiles. They are needed to counter incoming missiles and drones, and to bring down Russian aircraft. It's been less than a week since Russia's previous largest aerial assault of the war. Ukraine's air force reported that Russia fired 537 drones, decoys and 60 missiles in that attack. Emergency services reported damage in at least five of the capital's 10 districts. In Solomianskyi district, a five-story residential building was partially destroyed and the roof of a seven-story building caught fire. Fires also broke out at a warehouse, a garage complex and an auto repair facility. In Sviatoshynskyi district, a strike hit a 14-story residential building, sparking a fire. Several vehicles also caught fire nearby. Blazes were also reported at non-residential facilities. In Shevchenkivskyi district, an eight-story building came under attack, with the first floor sustaining damage. Falling debris was recorded in Darnytskyi and Holosiivskyi districts. Ukraine's national railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said drone strikes damaged rail infrastructure in Kyiv.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Trump celebrates tax bill passing, UK electric car sales rise
Update: Date: 2025-07-04T06:34:45.000Z Title: UK electric car sales up by a third in first half Content: Meanwhile in the UK, British electric car sales rose by a third in the first half of 2025 after the strongest June for overall car sales since before the Covid pandemic. The number of battery electric car sales rose 34.6% to 224,838 units in the first six months of the year, according to preliminary data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a lobby group. New car sales rose 6.8% year-on-year in June to 191,200 units, the best sales figures for the month since 2019. A quarter of all June sales, or nearly 47,400, were electric. The figures come amid a difficult period for the the UK car industry, which has struggled to increase sales to pre-pandemic levels as potential buyers have been hit by the cost of living crisis after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. British car factories have also had to contend with a major slowdown in response to extra US tariffs of 25% announced by Donald Trump in March. Last month UK car production fell to its lowest level for May since 1949 as manufacturers cut back shipments. You can read the full story from my colleague Jasper Jolly here. Update: Date: 2025-07-04T06:31:30.000Z Title: Introduction: Trump celebrates spending and tax bill on US Independence Day Content: Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy. President Donald Trump has secured passage of his controversial flagship tax and spending bill, after the House of Representatives approved the bill late on Thursday. The 218-to-214 vote sends the legislation to Trump, who has said he plans to sign the bill on Friday as the US celebrates Independence Day. Speaking to supporters at the Iowa State Fairground, he said 'there could be no birthday present for America'. There could be no better birthday present for America than the phenomenal victory we achieved just hours ago, when Congress passed the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' to make America great again…one-hundred-and-sixty-five days into the Trump administration, America is on a winning streak like, frankly, nobody has ever seen before in the history of the presidency.' Meanwhile, the president's trade war rattles on. Trump told reporters late on Thursday that his administration will start sending out letters on Friday setting unilateral tariff rates, which countries would have to begin paying on 1 August. Trump said '10 or 12' letters would go out on Friday, with additional letters coming 'over the next few days'. The higher import duties will range in value from 'maybe 60 or 70% tariffs to 10 and 20% tariffs', he said. The top tier of that range would be higher than any of the levies the president first outlined during his Liberation Day rollout in April. He did not provide any detail on which countries might receive such high tariffs. The UK is one of a few countries that has reached a trade agreement with Trump, including Vietnam. Many trading partners such as the European Union, Japan and South Korea are still trying to finalise trade deals. Trump has threatened that if countries fail to reach deals by 9 July, he could simply impose tariff rates on them. 9:00am BST: UK SMMT car market figures for the first half of the year 9:30am BST: UK PMI construction data US market closed for Independence Day
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
German industrial orders fall 1.4% in May
July 4 (Reuters) - German industrial orders fell much more than expected in May due to a one-off effect, official data showed on Friday. Orders declined by 1.4% on the previous month on a seasonally and calendar adjusted basis. A Reuters poll of analysts had pointed to a fall of 0.1%. The slump was primarily due to the substantial decline of 17.7% month-on-month in orders in the computer, electronic and optical products sector, where several large-scale orders were recorded in April. Furthermore, strong decreases were also observed in the electrical equipment and basic metals sectors. Foreign orders rose by 2.9% on the month, with orders from the euro zone decreasing by 6.5% and orders from outside the euro area increasing by 9.0%. Domestic orders fell by 7.8% on the month, the statistics office said. The less volatile three-month on three-month comparison showed that new orders in the period from March to May were 2.1% higher than in the previous three months.
