China has released its first set of rare earth mining quotas for 2025 quietly, marking a move to tighten state control over an industry vital to everything from electric cars to military hardware. Reuters reported that Beijing issued the initial quotas just last month,

The U.S. once controlled the market on rare earth elements, sought after for a range of technologies. But in the last few decades, China has cornered that market and surpassed the U.S.

The European Union and China have agreed on a new mechanism to help solve possible issues regarding exports, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday, amid fears sparked by Chinese restrictions to rare earth exports.