Americans rely on rare earth elements in their daily lives, whether they know it or not, making these metals a powerful bargaining chip in trade tensions between the U.S. and China.
They’re used in cell phones, hard drives, hybrid engines, lasers, medical devices and televisions, to name a few.
Rare earths “make our screens brighter, lighting efficient, and lasers more powerful,” said Shikha Sharma, a professor of geology and geography at West Virginia University.
Europium, she said, is used for bright red colors in screens, terbium for green LEDs and yttrium – paired with neodymium — powers high-performance lasers used in medicine and defense.
Rare earths also power green technology, including windmill turbines, and help magnets inside electric-vehicle motors perform even when the motor heats up.
A 15-item row of the periodic table known as the lanthanide series, plus yttrium and scandium, form the roster of rare earth elements.
SEE ALSO: China’s global control over rare earth metals a strategic goal since the 1990s
They are sometimes unpronounceable, but often irreplaceable.
China knows this and, suddenly, it’s flexing its near-monopoly on the extraction and processing of rare earths to gain leverage on the global stage.
Beijing recently put severe restrictions on the elements, prompting President Trump to threaten a 100% tariff on Chinese goods, effective Nov. 1.
The situation could spark another U.S.-China trade war, unless Mr. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping pull their nations back from the brink.
Either way, the spat spotlights rare earth elements, or REEs, that are actually quite plentiful but widely dispersed and difficult to mine and process profitably.
The U.S. has rare earths but fell behind China when it seemed, in prior decades, that importing the minerals would be more cost-effective than extracting and processing them here.
Most mining and processing of rare earths is done overseas. However, there have been efforts to spur production in the U.S., including MP Materials’ Mountain Pass mining in California and Ramaco Resources’ Brook Mine operation in Wyoming.
“There are technical challenges to mining REE domestically, as well as developing innovative mineral separation and processing techniques that are environmentally responsible and tailored to domestic REE resources,” said Lauren Birgenheier, a geology professor at the University of Utah. “There are several great research groups and private companies that are working on overcoming these challenges.”
Hoping to speed things along, Mr. Trump signed a series of executive orders this year to identify mineral projects and speed the permitting process. One order even directs agencies to unleash mineral resources under the deep-sea bed offshore.
He also launched a national security investigation to spur recommendations from the Department of Commerce, such as whether tariffs on foreign minerals are needed or if there are ways to spur domestic production.
“Shoring up America’s supply chains and domestic production of critical minerals has been a top priority for the Trump administration,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said. “The administration’s historic actions on deregulation, targeted industry interventions, and an ongoing Section 232 investigation, among other policies, are reflective of how we are delivering on this priority to safeguard our national and economic security.”
Rare earths have a special atomic structure that is different from other elements — namely, they have electrons tucked away deep inside their atoms.
“This gives them important magnetic and optical properties, which make our technology devices faster, smaller [and] more efficient,” said Alex Gysi, an associate professor of earth and environmental sciences at New Mexico Tech.
He said Yttrium Aluminum Garnet lasers, for instance, rely on rare earths’ properties to balance wavelength and power.
Another rare earth element, neodymium, is used in lasers for eye surgery and other uses, while erbium is used in fiber-optic amplifiers for long-distance communication.
Neodymium, samarium, and dysprosium are used in lightweight magnets that can withstand extreme temperatures and vibrations. They’re used in phones, EVs, wind turbines and fighter jets.
The dysprosium, in particular, “reduces demagnetization in motors as they heat up,” said Michael Free, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Utah. “Thus, manufacturers of many clean energy devices use magnets that have REEs.”
The “rare earth” name is somewhat misleading. These elements are found across the planet.
“However, due to their unique geochemical properties, they tend to be widely dispersed, making them relatively difficult to mine and process profitably, hence the name,” Ms. Sharma said. “Additionally, very high concentrations of rare earth elements are associated with uncommon varieties of rocks that are not widely distributed globally.”
Earlier this year, the U.S. accused China of slow-walking permits to export the minerals to American companies.
A deal negotiated in London resumed shipments. China, in return, got relief on tech-export controls and visas for its students attending U.S. colleges.
The issue burst into view again last week, when China’s commerce ministry said it would restrict rare earth exports to all countries. In particular, it drew a red line against letting other countries acquire the elements for military purposes.
“The current global situation is turbulent, with military conflicts occurring from time to time. China is aware of the important military applications of medium and heavy rare earth items,” a commerce ministry spokesman said. “As a responsible major country, China implements export controls on relevant items in accordance with the law to better safeguard world peace and regional stability and fulfill its international obligations, including non-proliferation.”
Beijing insists trade tensions can be resolved, though it put the onus on Washington to play nice.
“If there’s a fight, we’ll fight to the end. If there’s a talk, the door is open,” a commerce ministry spokesman said Tuesday.
China plans to implement the restrictions in two waves, on Nov. 8 and Dec. 1. It is also clamping down on products that contain rare earths and other products, such as small motors.
Europe is also impacted – and worried.
“China’s unjustified export controls on rare earths are a critical concern,” Maros Sefcovic, the trade minister for the European Union, said Tuesday on X. “I’m in close contact with both my Chinese and G7 counterparts. We must also accelerate efforts to minimize our dependencies.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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