Shipments of seven rare earths placed on an export control list last week by Beijing have ground to halt, three sources said, raising the risk of shortages overseas as Chinese exporters begin the long, uncertain wait for government licenses.

Hong Kong customs seized suspected antimony ingots, customs said in a statement dated April 2, a move that comes after China, the world's biggest producer of the metal, imposed export controls on shipments in September.

China placed some rare earth elements under export restrictions on Friday as part of its response to President Donald Trump's tariff package, potentially cutting the U.S. off from critical minerals vital to everything from smartphones to electric car batteries.

Losing access to China would deal a fresh blow to American farmers.

The United States is planning to charge fees for docking at U.S. ports on any ship that is part of a fleet that includes Chinese-built or Chinese-flagged vessels and will push allies to do similar or face retaliation, according to a draft executive order dated February 27 and seen by Reuters on Thursday.

New U.S. steel tariffs are set to disrupt a multi-billion dollar supply chain moving steel from China to the United States via third countries, ratcheting up competition in the global market and undercutting a vital source of sales for China's struggling steel sector.

China's rapid solar expansion is expected to slow this year for the first time since 2019, as the industry's growth moderates, according to an industry association forecast on Thursday.