China has stopped almost all shipments of critical minerals that are needed for cars, robots, wind turbines, jet fighters and other technologies.

Germany's auto lobby warned China's export restrictions on rare earths, used in everything from windshield-wiper motors to anti-lock braking sensors, could soon cause production outages, the latest industry group to sound the alarm over delays to supply.

After the US and China agreed in Geneva to lower tariffs from astronomical heights, tensions are now surging over access to chips and rare earths. And Beijing increasingly appears to have an edge.