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While the world has been celebrating some rare, good news from the Middle East this week, the strategic contest between the two major global powers took a worrying turn.

On Friday, China jolted the United States by announcing plans to seriously tighten export restrictions on rare earths, used in everything from fighter jets to computer chips and electric vehicles.

China dominates 70 per cent of rare earth mining and more than 90 per cent of processing. It has a stranglehold on the market, which Xi Jinping uses as a powerful bargaining tool. Loading...

'Give us your critical minerals'

"It was shocking," said Donald Trump of Xi's latest move in the ratcheting trade war between the two. He said it had come "out of the blue". The US president immediatel

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