Germany depends on rare earths in China as a raw material for many high technology products. Last year 65.5 percent of the imported quantity came from the People’s Republic, as the federal statistical office announced. The share fell slightly: in 2023 it was still 69.1 percent.
The second most important country of origin was Austria last year with an import share of 23.2 percent. This was followed by a clear distance from Estonia with 5.6 percent. “Rare earths are processed in these two European countries, and the original origin is not statistically demonstrable,” said it.
Rare earths – which are needed for the construction of batteries, semiconductors or magnets for electric motors – play an important role in the current trade conflict. A few days ago, China imposed new export restrictions on rare earth in response to the punitive rates imposed by US President Donald Trump.
The import quantity fell – but still very high
The 17 elements below are hardly reduced in Germany and the European Union, hence the dependence on import. Germany introduced less rare earths last year: the amount of coveted metals went back from 5900 tons (value: 66 million euros) in 2023 to 5200 tons (value: 64.7 million euros). The import quantity fell by 12.6 percent. The highest level of the past ten years was reached in 2018 with 9700 tons.
“With some of the rare earths, China has a particularly high percentage as a state of origin,” said the statistics. Lanthan connections that were imported according to Germany came to 76.3 percent of the popular republic last year. These connections, which are used for the production of batteries, made less often three -quarters of the entire import quantity. “Neodymm, Praseodemen and Samarium, which are used for, among other things, permanent magnets in electric motors, were almost completely imported from China,” said it.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
