From fighter planes to nuclear reactor rods and smartphones, rare earth minerals are vital to a wide array of products. As geopolitical and trade tensions rise, China’s dominance of both mining and processing means these niche metals have become a cudgel to use against opponents.
In response to punitive tariffs imposed by Washington, Beijing earlier this month added seven rare earths to its export control list. While the metals actually occur fairly commonly in the Earth’s crust, they are not frequently found in concentrated deposits. They can also require a multistep process to isolate individual elements — and China controls not only mining, but the vast majority of global refining capacity.
The U.S., meanwhile, has almost no processing ability for the targeted metals, according to data from consultancy Project Blue.
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