Yukon Huang, Isaac B. Kardon, Matt Sheehan
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Row Over Rare Earth Metals
Rare earth metals are vital ingredients in a wide range of high tech product lines important to global trade and China's perceived monopoly on these metals is a big concern for the West.
Source: BBC News

Huang explained that China only has one third of global reserves of these minerals; the bulk lies in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Several years ago, China warned that growth in the extraction of rare earth metals would not be sufficient to meet global demand so quotas would have to be levied. Over the last two to three years, Huang concluded, western producers have faced a dwindling supply that is not sufficient to meet their needs.
About the Author
Senior Fellow, Asia Program
Huang is a senior fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program where his research focuses on China’s economy and its regional and global impact.
- Three Takeaways From the Biden-Xi MeetingCommentary
- Europe Narrowly Navigates De-risking Between Washington and BeijingCommentary
Yukon Huang, Genevieve Slosberg
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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