Rare Earths
Philippines bets chip sovereignty on US alliance as China threatens rare earth retaliation
Manila's entry into Pax Silica positions 4,000-acre industrial hub as anchor of regionalized semiconductor supply chains—drawing immediate economic countermeasures from Beijing.
US-China Tech Bifurcation Accelerates as Overlapping Sanctions Frameworks Harden Supply Chain Split
Multiple designation regimes now shape semiconductor, rare earth, and defense industrial access as China achieves partial chokepoint breakthrough.
China Weaponizes Rare Earths Against Japan—Again. This Time, the Counterstrike Is Funded.
Beijing's January 2026 export restrictions mirror its 2010 playbook, but Japan's 60% dependency and Quad-aligned supply diversification now set a 36-month deadline to break Chinese dominance.
Pentagon Mobilizes $30 Billion to Break China’s Rare Earth Stranglehold on Defense Supply Chains
U.S. Army's Strategic Capital Initiative marks historic shift from global procurement to domestic production as Taiwan tensions and Iranian disruptions expose semiconductor vulnerabilities.
Australia Forces Chinese Divestment in Rare Earths, Testing Western Supply Chain Decoupling
Canberra's unprecedented legal action against investors in Northern Minerals marks the first enforcement test of allied critical minerals strategy amid China's 90% processing dominance.
Trump’s Beijing Summit Meets China at Peak Leverage
First US presidential visit since 2017 tests whether tariff truce survives strategic competition over chips, rare earths, and Taiwan.
Trump arrives in Beijing with weakened hand as Xi eyes leverage on chips, tariffs
Structural U.S. dependence on Chinese supply chains and domestic legal setbacks position Xi Jinping to extract concessions when Trump visits May 13-15.
How China Spent 30 Years Building a Rare Earth Trap the West Can’t Escape
Beijing's dominance stems from deliberate predatory pricing that eliminated Western competitors before alternatives could scale, creating structural dependency across semiconductors, defense systems, and clean energy infrastructure.
China’s $43.6 Billion M&A Surge Masks Strategic Asset Control Play
Overseas acquisitions targeting semiconductors, rare earths, and critical minerals now account for 88% of China's cross-border portfolio as tech decoupling accelerates.
China’s Material Control and Payment Infrastructure Challenge U.S. Beyond Tariff Theater
While Trump pursues trade deals, Beijing weaponizes rare earth controls and alternative payment systems to constrain Western technology and reduce dollar dependence.
Bessent’s China Framework Targets Sectors, Not Blanket Tariffs — But Hawks May Block It
Treasury Secretary's approach manages competition through semiconductors, EVs, and rare earths while commodity markets price in implementation risk.
US clean energy policy hits strategic paradox: security restrictions collide with decarbonization timelines
Brookings analysis exposes how tariff escalation and capital restrictions on Chinese components simultaneously advance strategic autonomy and delay the energy transition the US claims to accelerate.