China has levied a raft of new export controls related to rare earth materials, expanding the scope of restrictions well beyond those previously imposed, as it looks to cement its near-monopoly status in the sector and fend off attempts by the United States to gain a foothold in the critical minerals supply chain.In a flurry of activity on Thursday, the country’s Ministry of Commerce made a series of announcements outlining new limits on several varieties of products deemed sensitive to national security.Areas covered included, most notably, the overseas transfer of technologies and equipment involved in the extraction and processing of rare earth elements – raw materials essential to the production of hi-tech goods like electric vehicles, smartphones and spacecraft.In addition, the ministry expanded the list of critical minerals under its export control umbrella, placed restrictions on the trade of items related to battery production and imposed curbs on the shipment of selected products containing “superhard materials”.Restrictions on the export of technologies related to the rare earth production chain – mining, smelting and separation, magnetic material manufacturing, as well as the use and recycling of rare earth secondary resources – will take effect immediately, according to a statement from the ministry.Technologies related to the assembly, debugging, maintenance, repair and upgrading of production lines will also be restricted.The moves represent a “major upgrade” of Beijing’s rare earth export control regime, widening the breadth of restrictions from raw materials to technology and intellectual property, which should strengthen China’s leverage ahead of crucial negotiations with the US, according to Wang Dan, China director at risk consultancy Eurasia Group.