Asian markets plunged Thursday. In China the Shanghai Composite Index tumbled 2.9% to 2,678 and in Hong Kong the Hang Seng Index fell 1.7% to 24,004. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index lost 1.1% to end the day at 10,437.
China's plans to cut exports of rare earth minerals -- used in alternative energy technologies -- has the rest of the world scrambling. In the U.S., the country's first new rare-earth mine in more than a decade is set to reopen.
China has resumed shipments of rare earth minerals -- critical to the production of cell phones, computer drives and hybrid cars -- to Japan. The shipments had been halted since a collision in the East China Sea, which strained diplomatic relations between the two countries.