rare earth elements
Western Powers Accelerate Rare Earth Decoupling as China’s Processing Dominance Hits 90%
Coordinated strategy combining equity stakes, price floors, and strategic partnerships aims to break China's stranglehold on critical minerals—but experts warn meaningful diversification requires a decade.
US-EU Critical Minerals Partnership Targets China’s Processing Chokehold
Agreement formalizes trade mechanisms and supply chain coordination across battery, semiconductor, and rare earth sectors, but binding commitments remain months away.
China’s Rare Earth Chokepoint: A 3-5 Year Window of Strategic Vulnerability
Beijing controls 90% of rare earth processing, weaponizing access through export controls while Western alternatives face decade-long buildout timelines.
China’s Rare Earth Chokehold: Processing Monopoly Exposes U.S. Strategic Vulnerability
Beijing controls 90% of refining despite holding only 37% of reserves, creating a minerals-based leverage point across defense and clean energy supply chains that billions in reshoring investment struggle to overcome.
Pentagon Recruits Bayan Mining as US Races to Break China’s Rare Earth Stranglehold
Defense consortium membership signals acceleration of Trump's decoupling strategy, but structural timelines and environmental challenges threaten pace of domestic capacity buildout.