Rare earths fuel the war machine. The U.S., trapped by its own neglect, watches China command the minerals that make modern power possible. Each jet, ship, and missile devours these elements. Without rebuilding alliances and global infrastructure, the West's arsenal will rust—its strength buried beneath its own complacency.
America's rare earth dependency crisis stems from decades of catastrophic policy failures that handed strategic assets to an adversary. The US once dominated this sector but allowed China to systematically acquire critical technologies like Magnequench while regulatory shutdowns crippled domestic production.
China's "validated end-user" system ensures that exports of rare-earth magnets do not end up in U.S. military use, safeguarding Beijing's national security interests. By selectively granting export licenses only to civilian firms, China strengthens its geopolitical leverage and preserves supply-chain dominance, compelling American defense contractors to seek alternative sources.
China's new licensing regime for rare-earth magnets discriminates against U.S. military suppliers, effectively weaponising supply-chain dependence. By fast-tracking civilian exports and blocking defense-linked ones, Beijing undermines U.S. national security readiness and exploits its 70-90% control over the sector to gain an advantage in trade and geopolitics.
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