It’s time to treat rare places like power. China is already doing

In April 2025, China’s seven rare land elements are new export control and permanent magnets arising from them – materials that form a modern life and modern war. Fighting planes, missilesElectric vehicles, drones, wind turbines and even information centers also trust highly effective magnets made of critical minerals. Limiting their flows, Beijing not only turned the industry muscle, announced the rest of the United States and the world. The last actions of China Show preparations and abilities to arm American and global addiction.

This is not a new problem. The United States has more than 15 years, its critical mineral supply chains are very fragile and have been subjected to the Chinese arm and control. Again, we could not respond between democratic and the republican administrations, relevant or compatibility. Now the results of these failures have taken us and cascade in our commercial and defense sectors.

After the London talks, Washington and Beijing were declared on Friday New trading frame Finally, it will start approving export licenses for rare lands in six months. U.S. officials have openly stretched progress – but in return, they have offered several detail. The main questions put unanswered: What was the US trade? How to apply the deal? What happens when six months are over?

Skepticism is high. Ford recently stopped production in the Chicago plant due to a magnetic deficiency – even stressed that short-term supply breaks also cause real results. Paper contracts do not provide chain solutions. Without transparency, timely approvals and long-term planning, it can be another diplomatic cycle that easily returns to two steps forward.

Even this limited graduation also bears the risks. He described dozens of companies in Europe and North America China’s export license process is highly invasive – Requires firms to provide detailed production data, end use applications, object images, customer names and operational dates. Some applicants were rejected because they did not submit photographs or documents of their end users.

Executors say the process is the amount of “formal data production”.

When the companies are recommended not to share the sensitive IP, it means uncertain delays to let go of key details. Excites the effects for companies with defensive supply chains: mapping competitors, breaking the price or use valuable commercial intelligence to map Chinese substitutes.

This is not only licensing – competitive controls. The critical mineral supply of the United States is exposed to both violations and information until it increases its independent power throughout the chain.

This sensitivity did not happen in a night. Many have been following this slow movement train crash for years. In 2010, China cut the exports of a rare earth during the marine dispute, observed the United States, but brushed. In 2014, the Obama management won the WTO claim against China’s export restrictions, but it was wrong to prevent further manipulation of legal success.

What Trump, Biden did

The first Trump management has set rare places critical, but 2018 released from Chinese tariffs, perhaps the United States addiction confirmed an unspoken confession. Biden has taken the most established approach to date: 14017, the working group of critical minerals and the financing of Iija and IRA. A strategic partnership has emerged as Minerals Security Partnership. However, progress prevents slow, delays and unequal allies.

The second Trump management invites more aggressive measures, activating the Defense Production Act and activated the Defense Production Act, returned to the FY2026 more aggressive measures. Now the National Energy Dominance Council coordinates efforts. As the six months of China, these measures still remain to empty Beijing’s grip. The defense sector was killed without such a license window.

The last G7 summit in Canada stressed the global shares. European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leien directly charged directly from “Arming” control Calls United G7 response on basic materials such as rare lands. Result: A G7 Critical Minerial Action Plan. Although not remembered by the Chinese name, the bottom text was free. The plan raises management standards for ESG and major sources of G7 members; to mobilize capital for new projects in critical mineral mining and processing; and cooperates with innovation in recycling, replacement and processing technologies.

In advance, Beijing reacted to anger. The Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed that the G7 was violated by the fear of losing the market for the fear of losing a market share, as a “excuse” for protectionism.

Brussels now shows that trading talks have been effectively stopping in trade talks, so China’s likelihood is growing against the EU. The less it is reduced to the risk of Pecks, which is strongly pushing the EU, Japan, South Korea and India to Washington’s orbit in South Korea and India.

Dominant position in China’s rare land mine

Raw numbers are amazing. China is about 70% of the global rare land mine, but more than 90% of cleaning ability. The world produces 92% of the NOOODYMYMI-IRON-BORN (NDFEB) magnets – used in everything until the submarine treats. This advantage is no accident. China’s subsidized processing is aimed at global procurement along the supply chain and faster scales and more faster scales as much as possible for a mines.

US sites MPs‘The mountain pass and the round top remains incomplete without processing low inconspications. DOD and DOE offer grant and the FY2026 Trump budget appears to expand the mining power of the United States and provide safe access to critical minerals. However, all this remains a dwarf with China’s head and for a long time and a long time with industrial communities and sector control.

China has moved early and determined to the governments and Latin America in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of Bolivia; To invest in ports, rails and processing infrastructure. On the contrary, taking into account the efforts and signs, transparency and management of US sets, transparency and management, but values ​​and values ​​that provide limited speeds of critical mineral issues. Even the latest mous with the Democratic Republic of Ukraine and the Congo remains symbolically symbolized by conflict and instability in these countries.

London talks and recent trade deals took place. But time without a strategy is not productive. China’s licensing regime remains intact, the information requirements are not accelerated. The defense sector is closed. Meanwhile, the dangers of Congress can stand in the rare earth projects in the traction, to eliminate the financing of pure energy and industrial policy.

This is a decisive point. China will prevent a unit, sustainable efforts to compete between the domestic divisions of America – labor, industry, ecologists, tribal peoples and political factions. They can be correct. US must prove errors.

Critical minerals are geopolitical power

In the United States, the critical minerals should be treated as a means of power, but also as a means of geopolitical power. China is already doing. Escape from the grip will require more than permissions and short-term financing. It requires a consistent, long-term strategy to create a complete supply chain that is not only local capabilities, but also a complete supply chain of allies and partners. Mining and processing must be strengthened by magnetic production and recycling, each link targeted investment, reforms and strategic coordination.

A successful and sustainable policy requires the commitment to the next from a presidency. The United States does not allow allies and partners to attract rentorically. The Democratic Republic of Congo needs partnerships, financing, technology transfer and critical infrastructure investments, including Chilean and Indonesia, support our lectures on management.

Six-month export of China is not a solution – a stress test. It says the United States will finally focus or move or re-pull the company back. Beijing bets to be the last one. Washington must respond to an urgent strategy equal to the scale of unity and the problem. There is still time, but not much.

–By DearDric McNealLeading and great policy analyst management in Longview Global and CNBC contribution