In an aerial view, a container ship arrives at the Port of Oakland on October 10, 2025 in Oakland, California. U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to impose a massive increase of tariffs on Chinese imports in response to China’s announcement of new export controls on rare earths. China controls an estimated 70% of the global supply of rare earths minerals.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Shares of U.S. rare earth miners rallied in premarket trade on Tuesday, extending sharp gains from the previous session after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened China with 100% tariffs over Beijing’s strict export controls on critical minerals.
Critical Metals jumped more than 36% in premarket, USA Rare Earth rallied 12% and MP Materials rose 9%. Shares of Energy Fuels were last seen up 12.6%, while NioCorp Developments stood nearly 10% higher.
The moves come as investors keep a close eye on the potential for a renewed trade spat between the world’s two largest economies.
Trump on Friday announced the U.S. would impose new tariffs of 100% on imports from China starting from Nov. 1, adding that the White House would also slap export controls on “any and all critical software.”
The U.S. president appeared to water down his rhetoric on Sunday, however, saying the situation with Beijing will “be fine.”
China on Thursday announced a new framework for restricting rare earth exports in a move that was seen as a stark warning to the West — and a reflection of the deepening mistrust between Beijing and Washington.
China is the undisputed leader of the critical minerals supply chain, producing nearly 70% of the world’s supply of rare earths from mines and processing almost 90%, which means it is importing these materials from other countries and refining them.
Western officials have repeatedly flagged Beijing’s supply chain dominance as a strategic challenge, particularly given that critical mineral demand is expected to grow exponentially, as the clean energy transition picks up pace.
