Rare earths power modern devices, from electronics to industrial machinery, making their supply a strategic battlefield. Recent events underscore how China’s leverage extends beyond tariffs and into critical minerals access. The takeaway for the world: diversify supply, secure alternatives, and reduce dependence on a single source to protect technology, jobs, and national resilience.
China controls most of the refining of rare earths used in chips, clean energy systems, and advanced manufacturing, even though deposits exist elsewhere. That concentration gives Beijing major leverage, raising supply-chain and geopolitical risks for Europe and other Western economies. Now governments are scrambling to secure access and reduce dependency, with industrial planning tied to mineral strategy.
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