Donald Trump’s desired rare earth minerals that he wants to protect from Ukraine as part of US support is a strategic metal that is essential for industries that develop computer, battery, and state -of -the -art energy technology.
What are rare earths, and are they rare?
Dysprosium, NEODYMIUM, CERIUM, and other names are 17 metal groups, mostly heavy, and are actually rich in crusts around the world.
In the 2024 assessment, the US Geological Survey estimated that there were 110 million tons of deposits worldwide, including 44 million in China, the world’s largest producer.
An estimated 22m tonnes is estimated to be an additional 21m in Vietnam, 10m tonnes in Russia, and 7m tonnes in India.
However, mining metal requires the use of heavy chemicals that bring a large amount of toxic waste, causing several environmental disasters, and many countries are in charge of a considerable cost for production. I’m wary.
And they are often found at micro-ore concentrations. In other words, it is often necessary to process a large number of rocks to produce sophisticated products in the form of powder.
Why does Trump want them?
The 17 rares are used in industries, each in a variety of daily and high -tech devices, from light bulbs to missiles with guided guides.
EUROPIUM is used in fluorescent lights and radar systems. Cerium is used for glass polishing and automobile catalyst converter. Lantanum salt is used for refining oil, and Lantanum alloy is used in hybrid and hydrogen gas vehicles. The list of modern economies is virtually endless.
And everything has its own properties that can only be replaced at almost irreplaceable or exorbitant costs.
For example, neodymium and dysprosium enable the production of almost permanent super -strong magnets that require almost maintenance, enabling marine wind turbine arrangement to generate power far from the coastline.
Mr. Trump said on Monday that Kiev would give Kiev guaranteeing the supply of rare soil in return for the US’s assistance in the United States, the idea of President Ukraine last year by President Ukraine Voldimia Zerenkyy.
Where are most of the current rare earth supply of the world coming from?
For decades, China has made the most of its rare earth reserves by investing heavily in refinery operations without the strict environmental surveillance required in the West.
China has also submitted a huge number of patents on rare earth production. This is an obstacle to companies in other countries that want to start large -scale processing.
As a result, the amount of reserves of rare earths is abundant elsewhere, but many companies are cheaper to ship unprocessed ore to China for refining, further strengthening the world’s trust.
The US and EU have acquired a large portion of supply from China, but both are trying to better recycle what they use to boost their production and reduce their dependence on Beijing.
During the US -China trade dispute in 2019, Chinese state -owned media suggested that rare earth exports to the United States could be reduced by retaliation for US measures. Japan directly saw cut -off pain in 2010, when China stopped exporting rare earths through territorial dispute.
Since then, Tokyo has strongly pushed the diversification of supplies and signed a contract with Australian Group Linus for production from Malaysia.
How are they different from “important minerals”?
Rare earths are one of the elements designated as important minerals in the United States, but they are not the entire list.
Among the measures announced by Beijing in response to US tariffs on Chinese products are export restrictions on certain important minerals, but not rare earths.
China’s Commerce Ministry and its Customs Bureau said the country is imposing export controls on tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum and indium to “protect national security interests.”
Tungsten, Tellurium, Bismuth, and Indium are designated as important minerals through US geological surveys. This is an essential material for advanced technology, clean energy, and national security.
