In response to the Chinese export controls on rare earth minerals, US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States could impose export controls on Boeing plane parts.
Notably, when Trump asked what items the US could impose export controls on, he said: “We have many things, including a big thing is airplanes. They (China) have a lot of Boeing planes, and they need parts, and lots of things like that.”
In particular, the country has 1, 855 Boeing airplanes in service. The majority of planes on order and in service are Boeing’s popular 737 single-aisle jet.
China’s announcement of export controls
Recently, China announced further export controls on rare-earth technologies, stating that unnamed foreign firms are using its supplies for military purposes. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said that it would impose restrictions with immediate effect on rare-earth technologies exports.
Significantly, Rare earths have also become a significant part of India-China talks in recent months, whereas relations between the two countries have enhanced after the August 31 meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin. Beijing has not relent on its restrictions on rare earths exports to India, which implicitly affects India’s automobile industry.