WASHINGTON (Oct. 10, 2025) — President Donald Trump issued a sharp rebuke Thursday after China threatened to restrict exports of rare earth elements, a move he described as “trade hostility” that could disrupt global markets.
Truth Social
In a statement posted to Truth Social, Trump said Beijing had sent formal notices to multiple nations outlining plans to impose sweeping export controls on key materials used in global manufacturing — including magnets and other rare earths critical to technology, defense, and energy production.
“They are becoming very hostile,” Trump wrote. “Nobody has ever seen anything like this… it would ‘clog’ the Markets and make life difficult for virtually every Country in the World, especially for China”.
China’s decision
The president said other countries had reached out to express outrage over China’s decision, which he characterized as unexpected and aggressive. “Our relationship with China over the past six months has been a very good one, thereby making this move on Trade an even more surprising one,” he added.
Trump suggested that China’s actions were long-planned and part of a broader strategy to dominate global supply chains. “They have quietly amassed into somewhat of a Monopoly position… a rather sinister and hostile move,” he said.
He emphasized that the United States holds stronger monopolies over critical resources but has chosen not to use them — until now. “There was never a reason for me to do so — UNTIL NOW!” he declared.
Trump also revealed that a planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the upcoming APEC summit in South Korea may no longer happen. “There seems to be no reason to do so,” he said, calling the letter from China “a real surprise… to all the Leaders of the Free World.”
The president underscored the timing, noting it occurred on the same day as a major diplomatic breakthrough. “After three thousand years of bedlam and fighting, there is PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST,” Trump wrote. “I wonder if that timing was coincidental?”
Export restrictions
If China moves forward with its export restrictions, Trump vowed to respond decisively. “One of the policies we are calculating at this moment is a massive increase of tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States,” he wrote, adding that other economic countermeasures are under review.
The United States imports the vast majority of its rare earth elements from China, making the supply chain especially vulnerable to political tensions. Trump’s statement signals a potential escalation in the ongoing U.S.–China trade conflict.
“Ultimately, though potentially painful, it will be a very good thing, in the end, for the U.S.A.,” Trump concluded.
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Ten years of experience reporting. From car chases and courtroom verdicts to House fires, Holsford thrives during breaking news and finds it a privilege to help drive the conversation in Rockland County and the Greater New York Area. Born in San Bernardino, Thomas is a New York boy at heart. He received his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, specializing in political science and sociology, from the University of Illinois
