The Trump administration previously noted that 70 percent of U.S. imports of rare earth minerals came from China and that the United States is fully dependent on imports for at least 15 critical minerals.

China alone produced 270,000 tons of rare earth minerals in 2024, a 5.9 percent increase from 255,000 tons in 2023.

Sweden’s government announced a new national mining strategy July 23, designating critical metals and rare earth minerals a national security interest as the country strives to reduce its dependence on China.

As geopolitical competition with China and conflicts across the world highlight shortcomings in America’s defense industrial base and vulnerabilities in its supply chain for rare earth minerals, industrial policy has become fashionable on both sides of

The most sensitive categories include technology and strategic information, rare earths and critical minerals, cybersecurity and data, political activity, religion, and national security.

Critical Mineral SupplyJapan’s Imports of 2 Rare Earth Elements Plunge 70 PercentNSA Blocked Intel of CCP Election Influence From TrumpFormer Fauci Adviser Pleads GuiltyDr.

Gareth Hatch, who founded Toronto-based processor Innovation Metals Corp. in 2011, said mining rare earth minerals has many challenges.

Samples of rare earth minerals from left: Cerium oxide, Bastnaesite, Neodymium oxide, and Lanthanum carbonate at Molycorp's Mountain Pass Rare Earth facility in Mountain Pass, Calif., on June 29, 2015.

The United States is supporting the Ampasindava rare-earths project in Madagascar as part of a broader effort to reduce dependence on rival nations for critical mineral supplies, according to the U.S. State Department.

We even have rare minerals, rare earth minerals we have not fully tapped. We have oil, we have coal, we have hydroelectric. We have the richest energy nation in the world.

"There has been $3.6 billion Australian investment in the U.S. since we last met across a range of issues including defence, critical minerals, rare earths, manufacturing." In response, President Trump said he would "consider" an exemption.

The companies targeted by the export controls include rare-earth miners MP Materials Corp. and USA Rare Earth, motor manufacturer Aveox, and defense technology companies Red Cat Holdings and its subsidiary Teal Drones.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced new export restrictions on 10 U.S. rare earth minerals and defense companies after the Pentagon on June 8 flagged several Chinese companies it believed were aiding the Chinese military.

"I mean, there's a great oil and gas reserve there, there are great rare earth minerals there. There's great fishing there. I mean, it's a great, great place. So, we're gonna get it," Landry said.

Washington and Beijing are competing for influence in Brazil, a country rich in rare earth minerals. But how reliable a partner will Brazil be in the race to reduce dependence on China's rare earth supply? A major push in the tech race with China.

This includes building a diverse industrial ecosystem, rare-earth mineral refining capacity, and energy supplies that are not reliant on adversary countries such as China, Russia, and Iran.

Yet mining for copper—and other critical or rare earth minerals—is water-intensive. According to the engineering firm Worley, a conventional copper processing plant uses between 0.45 and 0.6 cubic metres of water to process a dry tonne of ore. 

Rare-earth minerals—used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and advanced defense systems—are a strategic resource in which the CCP holds dominant global processing capacity.

USA Rare Earth expects to begin commercial mining operations at its Round Top rare-earth minerals mine in Hudspeth County, Texas, by 2028.

the markets and manipulate prices of rare-earth minerals.

China has about 70 percent of all rare-earth minerals on the planet and upward of 80 percent of rare-earth mineral processing.

A Yale study from Dec. 2 found there are no replacements for many of the rare earth minerals.

The talks are also expected to touch on Brazil's rare earth mineral reserves. Dutch officials say that dozens of passengers left the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius cruise ship on April 24.

Rare earths are essential for electronics, fighter jets, and more.

A trade deal was then reached in May, and issues around the shipment of the rare earth minerals and magnets were resolved in June.

Under its accelerated mining plan, USA Rare Earth said it expects that by 2030, "it will extract from Round Top approximately 40,000 metric tons per day of rare earth and critical mineral feedstock."

Last year, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) funded RZ Resources’ Copi Mine which will start extracting rare earths in 2028—the first time an Australian critical minerals company secured support from the U.S. agency and the first Australian

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said China's latest move on rare earth minerals export controls offers clear "signs of decoupling."

Topping the agenda were the Iran war, China, and rare earth minerals. We have the key takeaways.

The Pentagon is becoming the top stakeholder in the United States' largest rare earths miner. This deal is a key step toward securing America's rare earths supply amid challenges from China.