China expands rare-earth export controls, creating risks for PC component supply — Beijing tightens grip on materials for HDDs and more to protect national security

China has expanded its export controls on rare-earth elements, adding new items to a growing list of restricted materials and processing technologies. The updated rules, which take effect in December, cover not just elements like holmium, thulium, erbium, and ytterbium, but also the technical know-how around how they’re turned into magnets.

In a mirror of U.S. semiconductor export policy, Chinese officials framed the move as a national security imperative and signaled that licenses will be denied for…