Chinese President, Xi Jinping has been planning to give a befitting reply to the US president’s step to raise tariffs to 25% on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods imports. Xi Jinping, along with its vice Premier Liu He, visited the factory of JL MAG Rare-Earth in Ganzhou city in eastern China. He inquired about the production process as well as the operations at JL MAG Rare-Earth, which specializes in magnetic rare-earth elements.

China, which is the highest producer of rare-earth elements, accounts for supplying about 90% of global production to the world. And the US has been dependent on the country for 80% of rare earth imports. There are many magnet companies in China which have been popular for supplying radial ring magnets and also custom magnets bulk orders. The US president Donal Trump raised the tariff on $200 billion Chinese imports from 10% to 25%. However, he didn’t impose any tariff on Chinese imports of rare-earth metals as the US depends on Chinese rare-earth elements industry for its tech and defense giants. Post Donald Trump’s move to raise the tariff, this is Xi Jinping’s first visit to JL MAG Rare-Earth factory.

Xi Jinping’s visit to the country’s rare-earths hints that the Chinese President is planning to give a setback to the US president by crippling the US tech and military giants. The year-long trade war between the US and China is the reason for Xi Jinping’s this move. About 17 rare metals which Chinese produce contribute to the development of the US’s tech, manufacturing, and military sector. All these rare earth metals including magnets are used in the production of a variety of products in the US. Some of the products are batteries, flame retardants, smartphones, electric cars, fighter jets, and so on.