Years of neglecting its critical metal supplies is catching up with the United States, as demand for the raw materials needed to build a new green economy that rejects fossil fuels gears up.
Consultancy CRU previously estimated a total of 100,000 tonnes of annual aluminum production may be cut as a result of the Inner Mongolia restrictions.
The European Union has imposed duties on aluminum products imported from China after an investigation showed that they were being sold at unfairly low prices.
It is ironic that aluminum, a metal so central to the green revolution, risks not being able to grow sufficiently because of the pressure to decarbonise.