China’s copper smelters are preparing to scale back production from record levels after a prolonged shortage of raw ore, according to industry reports. The bottleneck comes as Beijing intensifies a nationwide drive to curb industrial overcapacity, leaving refiners with fewer options to maintain output despite robust domestic demand for the metal. Separately, the Wall Street Journal reports that China has tightened export controls on a range of critical minerals, impeding supplies to Western defense manufacturers and delaying production of munitions and aircraft components. The dual pressure—domestic ore scarcity and outward-facing export restrictions—underscores China’s growing leverage over global metals and minerals markets and heightens concerns about supply security in sectors from construction to defense.