{
  "id": 9340771,
  "title": "How the US gave up its edge to China in processing vital rare earth minerals – and what that’s costing",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/how-the-us-gave-up-its-edge-to-china-in-processing-vital-rare-earth",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-23T12:44:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation",
    "slug": "the-conversation",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/how-the-us-gave-up-its-edge-to-china-in-processing-vital-rare-earth-minerals-and-what-thats-costing-292631"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Rare earth elements, 17 metals collectively known as such, play a crucial role in many modern devices, from phone magnets to submarine propulsion systems. These minerals are separated and refined from raw ore, a process that China has monopolized, granting it significant geopolitical leverage. China processes and refines about 91% of the world's rare earth minerals, while the United States has only about 7% of the necessary mines and processing facilities.\n\nChina's dominance in rare earth processing became evident in 2025 when it announced export controls that were later suspended until November 10, 2026. This control allows China to influence the global supply chain, slowing down or halting the growth of rival nations. The United States, despite possessing rare earth deposits, has struggled to rebuild its domestic supply chain, largely due to a lack of experienced engineers and industrial-scale technologies developed in China. The US government has committed over $7 billion since 2025 to rebuild its rare earth production capacity, investing in companies like MP Materials and USA Rare Earth. However, China's export roadblocks continue to pose significant challenges to the U.S. rebuilding its supply chain.",
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}