ETH Zurich Examines How China Turns Mineral Export Controls Into Strategic Leverage

Highlights

• ETH Zurich researcher Névine Schepers argues China's export controls on critical minerals create leverage across automotive, defense, and tech industries.
• The brief warns that alternative supply chains demand time, capital, and processing expertise—mining alone cannot break Chinese dominance.
• REEx flags a key error: Europe's 65% single-country sourcing threshold is a nonbinding benchmark, not an automatic import ban.
• Investors are urged to track export licensing, audit full processing chains, and stress-test suppliers against both shortages and price collapses.