How the US Handed China Control of the Rare Earth Supply Chain

How the US handed China control of the rare earth supply chain

Decades of cheaper imports left US dependent on China for crucial rare earth processing.

How the US gave up its edge to China in processing vital rare earth minerals – and what that’s costing

Today, China controls the vast majority of rare earths processing. That gives it enormous political leverage, and its trade truce with the US involving those minerals expires Nov. 10, 2026.

How the US gave up its edge to China in processing vital rare earth minerals – and what that’s costing

by Charles Edward Gehrke, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] Look around you, and you’ll see rare earth elements at work....

How the US ceded control of the rare earth supply chain to China

7 Article Rewrite: US Companies Placed on Chinese Export Control List: Implications and Strategies On June 22, 2026, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce made a significant announcement – 10 US companies have been added to the export control list, restricting the sale of products for both civilian and military use to these entities. Among these [...]

How Decades Of Cheap Imports Put America's Rare Earth Supply In China's Hands

Decades of cheap Chinese imports left the US reliant on Beijing for rare earth processing used in phones, cars and fighter jets.