China tightens leverage over solar, drone and drug supply chains beyond rare earths

■ Steady

Report says China widening supply chain leverage beyond rare earths

A report published on Monday says China is making it harder for other countries to cut their dependence on its solar, drone and drugmaking technology, extending its leverage beyond rare earths. On Sunday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada-US trade talks are making progress, days before the US midterm elections on Tuesday. The effects of US 50% tariffs on Canadian goods continue to be felt.

• A paper mill in Témiscaming, Quebec closed indefinitely after the US imposed 50% tariffs, leaving hundreds of workers out of work.
• A US food distributor facing a $40M tariff bill is suing the Trump administration, arguing the 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods are illegal.
• On Friday, Carney and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the Alliance for the Future in Montreal, a partnership open to other countries and framed as a hedge against geopolitical unpredictability.
• A report says EU-US relations have deteriorated under Trump, citing tariffs on European goods, claims on Greenland and a diesel deal with Putin.