China Has Never Been More Aggressive on Critical Minerals… Yet Almost No One Is Talking About It $MP $USAR $UAMY $ALOY $UUUU $AREC $TMC JUST IN THE PAST 2 WEEKS: 1) June 15th New Mineral Resources Law was codified into law. Expanded central government control over strategic mineral resources. Strengthened oversight of exploration, mining rights, production planning, and strategic reserves. Elevated critical minerals further into China's national security framework. 2) China reaffirmed its export controls. Following criticism from the G7, China defended its critical mineral export controls as lawful. No indication was given that restrictions would be eased. 3) U.S. requested relief for Japan's rare earth supply… and was denied. During recent trade discussions, the U.S. urged China to restore or ease rare earth exports to Japan. China straight up said no, and justified their restrictions yet again. 4) MP Materials and USA Rare Earth added to China's Export Control List. Chinese exporters were prohibited from supplying controlled dual-use items to these companies. Existing exports covered by China's export control regulations were halted. 5) National whistleblower hotline launched. China established a reporting system for: Critical mineral smuggling, transshipment, export-control violations, and more. Rewards may even be provided for qualified reports. 6) Increased enforcement of export controls. Chinese authorities increased enforcement efforts, including investigations and detentions related to alleged attempts to circumvent rare earth export controls. Chinese authorities detained two Japanese nationals on suspicion of attempting to smuggle rare earth-related materials or otherwise violating China’s export control regime.