China Bans Exports of Rare Earth Tech as Critical Minerals Race Heats Up

China is prohibiting the export of some technologies to process rare earth elements to protect its national security as the race for critical minerals supply intensifies.   China’s Commerce Ministry banned on Thursday the export of technology to extract and separate rare earth elements (REEs), a group of 17 critical metals used in the manufacturing of permanent magnets that are used in electronics, EV technologies, and wind turbines.   The move follows last month’s directive from the Chinese authorities to exporters of…