Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent
visit to a rare-earths facility in
China's gonzo city has fueled
speculation that the strategic materials
could be used as part of a retaliation
measure as Beijing's trade war with the
US heats up China Xinhua news agency
reported on Monday that President Xi was
accompanied by Lu ha the Vice Premier
who has been leading the Chinese side in
the trade negotiations with Washington
gonzo is known for its rare earths
mining and processing industry and the
u.s. relies on China the dominant global
supplier for about 80 percent of its
rare earths imports
