Industry leaders in the rare earth metals sector are increasingly concerned about recent export controls imposed by China, fearing that Beijing may leverage its dominance over the global supply chain in unprecedented ways. China’s Ministry of Commerce announced on Thursday that export controls on antimony, used in lead and nuclear weapons production as well as lead-acid batteries, will take effect on September 15. Louis Black, CEO of Canada’s Almonty Industries, remarked that such a move was unanticipated just three months ago and signals potential further confrontations. Almonty Industries is investing over $125 million to reopen a tungsten mine in South Korea later this year. Both tungsten and antimony are critical rare metals listed by the U.S., and China holds significant control over their global supply.