China views its rare earths as a national security issue, not a trade one, and that’s why Beijing is unlikely to loosen controls any time soon, experts say.

The scramble in recent weeks to secure export licences for rare earths shows China has devised a better, more precisely targeted weapon for trade war.

Last month, President Donald Trump said the United States needed Greenland “very badly,” renewing his threat to annex the Danish territory. Greenland is a resource-rich island with a plentiful supply of critical minerals, a category that also includes rare earths elements, under its ice sheet. Trump also signed a “ rare earth deal ” with Ukraine.