EU sounds alarm to China over rare earth export controls

From cnn.com

The European Union has urged China to ease restrictions on rare earth materials – critical for everything from cars to washing machines – after Beijing’s export controls disrupted supplies and triggered production turmoil across industries in Europe and America. Maros Sefcovic, the European Union’s trade commissioner, said the issue was a “priority” in his Tuesday meeting with Chinese commerce minister Wang Wentao on the sidelines of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development conference in Paris. “I informed my Chinese counterpart about the alarming situation in the European car industry, ... (full story)