AP: Critical Minerals Are Hard for the U.S. to Quickly Catch Up On For decades, China has been committed to building a global industrial chain for rare earth mining and processing, thereby gaining dominance. Rare earth materials are widely used in many industries including electronics, advanced manufacturing, defense, and healthcare. Villalobos, a mineral expert and engineer at the RAND Corporation, believes that no matter what challenges China's mineral enterprises face in raw material procurement, Beijing will likely strive to maintain its dominant position in the field of critical minerals. According to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, from 2020 to 2023, at least 70% of the U.S.'s rare earth compounds were imported from China. In recent years, the U.S. has been striving to diversify its sources of rare earths but still mainly relies on China. Analysts point out that there is still a long way for the U.S. to catch up with China, and during this period, it must try to coexist with China. The only rare earth mine currently in operation in the U.S. is located in Mountain Pass, California. However, it cannot separate heavy rare earths. The mined ore has to be shipped to China for processing. The U.S. Department of Defense has provided funding to the owner company of the mine to build a new separation facility. The construction of this facility will take several months, but its capacity is expected to be only a small fraction of the required amount. The U.S. Department of Defense has pledged $439 million to help build a domestic rare earth supply chain, but establishing a complete mining and processing industrial chain like China's may take decades. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace geopolitical expert McBride said that the U.S.'s current focus on critical minerals has also given some small mining companies opportunities in previously uneconomical niche markets. "Many of these small mining companies are betting on an escalation of Sino-U.S. tensions and trade wars; suddenly, projects that were not economically viable outside of China have now become more valuable." Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834726443543584/ Disclaimer: This article solely represents the views of the author.