EU presses China on rare earths and Ukraine war

The European Union's top diplomat urged China's foreign minister on Wednesday to end restrictions on rare earths exports and warned that Chinese firms' support for Russia's war in Ukraine posed a serious threat to European security, the EU said. Kallas "called on China to put an end to its distortive practices, including its restrictions on rare earths exports, which pose significant risks to European companies and endanger the reliability of global supply chains," the EU said. EU officials had said they would use the meeting between Kallas and Wang to urge China to use its influence as Iran's main oil buyer to press Tehran to make a deal over its nuclear programme and de-escalate conflict in the Middle East.