China restricts exports to US defense firms in response to American controls
China announced new restrictions on exports to American defense firms, a direct response to recent US measures limiting Chinese access to advanced technology. Beijing has increasingly used its control over strategic materials and components as leverage as the two governments trade restrictions across the technology and defense supply chains.
The retaliation follows a run of US export actions, including curbs that have entangled commercial technology firms, and it underscores how each side now reaches for supply-chain chokepoints rather than tariffs alone. For American defense contractors that depend on Chinese-sourced inputs — from rare-earth materials to specialized parts — the practical effect is added cost and sourcing risk, even where stockpiles cushion the near term.