EU Firms Face New Production Halts on China Rare Earth Pinch (1)

European companies are halting production due to shortages of rare earth products from China, even as the world’s top supplier ramps up overall exports to record levels.

Companies in the European Union incurred seven production stoppages in August because of the shortfalls, and an additional 46 are expected this month, the EU Chamber of Commerce in China said Thursday, without specifying the scale or nature of the affected facilities.

“We are seeing things moving, but they are moving extremely, extremely slowly,” Carlo D’Andrea, the chamber’s vice president and chair of its Shanghai chapter, said at a press briefing in the ...