#export ban

Last week, China's Ministry of Commerce published a document that went by the name of "announcement No. 62 of 2025". But this wasn't just any bureaucratic missive. It has rocked the fragile tariffs truce with the US. The announcement detailed sweeping new curbs on its rare earth exports, in a move that tightens Beijing's grip on the global supply of the critical minerals - and reminded Donald Trump just how much leverage China holds in the trade war. China has a near-monopoly in the processing of rare earths - crucial for the production of everything from smartphones to fighter jets. Under the new rules, foreign companies now need the Chinese government's approval to export products that contain even a tiny amount of rare earths and must declare their intended use. In response, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods and put export controls on key software. "This is China versus the world. They have pointed a bazooka at the supply chains and the industrial base of the entire free world, and we're not going to have it," said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. On Thursday, China said the US had "deliberately provoked unnecessary misunderstanding and panic" over the rare earths restrictions. "Provided the export licence applications are compliant and intended for civilian use, they will be approved," a commerce ministry spokesperson added. This week, the world's two biggest economies also imposed new port fees on each other's ships.

continue reading

Remember how Brexit was going to save our fishermen?

So, we will no longer be able to order Kamen Rider soundtracks from legit sources. Well, that sucks.  I hope they realize this just encourages international piracy all the more.

Edit: I went to CD Japan to verify this for myself and this is the message you get when you select ANY Avex product:

Zimbabwe’s ban on raw lithium exports is forcing Chinese miners to rethink their strategy, speeding up plans to process the metal locally instead of shipping it to China’s vast rechargeable battery industry. The country is Africa’s largest lithium producer and has one of the world’s largest reserves, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Zimbabwe already banned the export of lithium ore in 2022 and in 2025 announced it would halt exports of lithium concentrates from January 2027. But on Wednesday it imposed the ban with immediate effect, leaving unclear what the lithium mining sector will do in the short term as Zimbabwe currently has no facilities to process lithium concentrates. The move, which also included a blanket ban on export of all raw minerals, aims to capture the added value of refining and processing, thus creating jobs and additional government tax revenue. But critics say the push to refine should have come sooner, with Zimbabwe already having lost out on several years of revenues for the hard-pressed local economy. Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe, owned by Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, has spent $400 million on a processing plant that should be operational in the coming weeks, its representative Patience Chizodza told state broadcaster ZBC. It will reportedly be the first factory in Africa to refine lithium concentrate into lithium sulfate -- a powdered form that is one step closer to the product used in batteries.