Analysts see Beijing tightening rare earth supply if Washington presses chip limits

Analysts say China may restrict rare earth exports further if the US escalates chip curbs tied to Nvidia, a risk to costs and supply.

Analysts quoted by SCMP Tech say China could tighten its rare earth exports if the United States escalates its restrictions on advanced chips, with Nvidia at the center of the dispute. The scenario is still developing and is not a confirmed policy move.

Rare earths and advanced chips both feed into much else: energy equipment, computing capacity and manufactured goods. When each side answers export controls with its own, inputs get costlier and less predictable for everyone downstream.

For abundance, this is friction. Cheap, widely available energy, compute and goods depend on open supply chains for key materials and components. Tit-for-tat controls push the other way, concentrating leverage in a few hands and making supply a bargaining chip.

Watch whether Washington actually widens its chip curbs, and whether Beijing follows with new licensing or export limits. Until then this is analyst expectation, not action. The full account sits with the source.

Source: SCMP Tech