China Has Retained Its Grip on Rare Earths Despite a U.S. Trade Truce
Back in 2019, the United States had a dust-up with China regarding trade and tariffs, and as part of its response, China threatened to reduce the export of rare earth elements (REEs) essential for many civilian and military electronics. The Chinese, then as now, held a dominant position in the mining and processing of these metals. China did not carry through on its threat, and by early 2020, both nations signed an agreement that de-escalated the trade war. Fast forward to today, and we have China and the United States de-escalating a trade…