Highlights

• Representative John Moolenaar recommends restricting Chinese airline landing rights in response to rare earth export manipulation.
• Proposed sanctions aim to counter China's strategic control over critical mineral supply chains through aviation sector pressure.
• The initiative reflects a broader U.S. strategy to challenge China's geopolitical leverage by targeting vulnerable industrial sectors.

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On September 18, 2025, Representative John Moolenaar, Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (opens in a new tab) (CCP), issued a letter (opens in a new tab) to President Donald J. Trump urging new retaliatory measures against Beijing’s tightening grip on rare earth exports. The letter praised the President’s push for G7 tariffs targeting China’s Russia ties but warned that rare earths remain a glaring point of vulnerability for U.S. defense and advanced manufacturing supply chains.

Rare Earths as a Geopolitical Lever

The letter framed China’s actions as deliberate, noting that despite pledges of openness, Beijing continues to “choke exports of rare earths and magnets” through slow, intrusive, and sometimes outright denied licensing. This squeeze, Moolenaar argued, echoes Beijing’s history of coercive trade tactics—despite having previously lost multiple WTO disputes over restrictions on critical material exports. The suggestion: China is once again weaponizing supply chains for strategic leverage.

Aviation in the Crosshairs

To counter Beijing, Moolenaar laid out a stark menu of options that go well beyond rhetoric:

• Restrict landing rights for Chinese airlines at U.S. and allied airports until rare earth flows are normalized.
• Reevaluate export licenses for aircraft, parts, and maintenance services destined for China.
• Curb outbound investment into China’s aviation sector, coordinating especially with European partners who supply Airbus and other aerospace leaders.

The idea is simple but forceful: if Beijing weaponizes minerals, Washington and allies should consider weaponizing the skies.

The High Stakes of Supply Chain Chess

This proposal reflects a broader strategic turn. While tariffs have been the headline measure in U.S.-China trade battles, the aviation sector represents one of China’s few genuine chokepoints of vulnerability. Beijing relies heavily on Western aircraft and technology; targeting these areas could impose real pain.

But there are risks. Such measures could escalate trade friction, disrupt global aviation, and risk retaliatory action against U.S. airlines and aerospace firms. Boeing, already battered by production delays and safety concerns, could see additional fallout if Beijing retaliates by shifting orders toward Europe’s Airbus—though the EU may face its own pressures to align with Washington.

A Rare Earth Reality Check

Moolenaar’s letter underscores the uncomfortable truth: the United States and its allies remain exposed to China’s dominance in rare earth refining and permanent magnet production. While projects in the U.S., Canada, and Australia are advancing, global capacity is still overwhelmingly concentrated in China. Even if G7 or NATO allies back Moolenaar’s proposed aviation-based sanctions, the near-term reality is that Beijing holds leverage until alternative supply chains mature.

The political message, however, is clear: Washington is willing to broaden the contest beyond tariffs and into strategically sensitive industries. Rare earths may be small in tonnage, but in geopolitics, they carry outsized weight.

Citation: U.S. House Select Committee on the CCP, Letter to President Donald J. Trump, September 18, 2025.

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