{"id":5925,"date":"2025-05-24T11:45:32","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T17:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vpzajoti4c.onrocket.site\/news\/weaponized-minerals-fig-warns-of-chinas-ree-dominancebut-misses-the-supply-chain-complexity\/"},"modified":"2025-05-24T17:11:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T23:11:54","slug":"weaponized-minerals-fig-warns-of-chinas-ree-dominancebut-misses-the-supply-chain-complexity","status":"publish","type":"news-archive","link":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/news\/weaponized-minerals-fig-warns-of-chinas-ree-dominancebut-misses-the-supply-chain-complexity\/","title":{"rendered":"Weaponized Minerals: Fig Warns of China\u2019s REE Dominance?But Misses the Supply Chain Complexity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Highlights<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>China controls over 70% of rare earth mineral production and 90% of refining, wielding significant geopolitical leverage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>U.S. and Western nations struggle to diversify mineral supply chains through strategic investments and international partnerships.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/?post_type=acf-post-type&amp;p=38\" title=\"News\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"73674\">Rare earth<\/a> minerals are crucial for advanced technologies in defense, electronics, and electric vehicles, making their control a critical strategic issue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n<p><em>Renowned metal commodity risk analyst <a href=\"https:\/\/robertfig.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"external-link\">Robert Fig<span class=\"sr-only\"> (opens in a new tab)<\/span><\/a> delivers a timely and forceful opinion in <a href=\"https:\/\/europeanconservative.com\/articles\/analysis\/who-controls-rare-earth-minerals-can-control-the-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"external-link\">The European Conservative,<span class=\"sr-only\"> (opens in a new tab)<\/span><\/a> asserting that China\u2019s dominance over rare earth elements (REEs) has reshaped the global geopolitical order and may determine the balance of power for years to come. Fig suggests that President Trump\u2019s interest in Ukraine and Greenland\u2014both geologically rich in REEs\u2014represents a strategic move to erode China\u2019s near-monopoly on this critical class of materials.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Claims<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>China\u2019s dominance is overwhelming, producing ~70% of REE concentrates and refining over 90%, with near-total control of heavy REEs used in advanced military technologies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Environmental externalization has enabled China to lead; Western nations, constrained by environmental regulations and high costs, have fallen behind in mining and refining.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fig likens China's position to OPEC\u2019s historical control of oil, warning that Beijing has weaponized rare earths in disputes with <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/news\/china-tightens-export-controls-on-japan-rare-earths-re-enter-the-geopolitical-crosshairs\/\" title=\"China Tightens Export Controls on Japan: Rare Earths Re-Enter the Geopolitical Crosshairs\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"97557\">Japan<\/a> and the U.S., including via export restrictions and bans on processing technology.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He links U.S. actions in Ukraine and <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/news\/greenland-the-west-and-the-myth-of-a-sudden-rare-earth-breakup\/\" title=\"Greenland, the West, and the Myth of a Sudden Rare-Earth Breakup\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"97558\">Greenland<\/a>, as well as its new mining deals in Africa, to desperate attempts to diversify supply.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The piece is laced with concern that despite Western reindustrialization efforts, the U.S. will produce only a fraction of the REE magnets China can, likely lagging in key sectors like EVs, defense, and advanced electronics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Assessment of Accuracy and Assumptions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Fig is right on the core premise: <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/news\/china-squeezes-japan-again-rare-earths-return-to-center-stage\/\" title=\"China Squeezes Japan, Again: Rare Earths Return to Center Stage\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"100348\">rare earths<\/a> are a chokepoint in the21st-century supply chain, and China has used its leverage\u2014bothmaterially and politically\u2014with increasing sophistication. His warning about environmental double standards and China\u2019s strategic hoarding of refining tech is well-founded and supported by a long trail of policy and trade actions, including the 2023 export ban on REE tech and past cutoffs to Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the op-ed falls short of a systems-level understanding of the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/news\/lynas-rare-earths-appeals-to-u-s-for-more-support-amid-rising-costs-and-trade-disruptions\/\" title=\"Lynas Rare Earths Appeals to U.S. for More Support Amid Rising Costs and Trade Disruptions\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"97559\">rare earth supply chain<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Mining \u2260 Magnets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Fig correctly notes the disparity between U.S. mining and Chinese refining, but he understates the complexity of the midstream gap\u2014especially oxide separation, metal conversion, and magnet fabrication. It\u2019s not just access to ore bodies that matters\u2014China controls the technology stack end-to-end. <em>The West struggles with accepting this reality<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Underplaying Private-Sector Innovation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Fig portrays the West as flailing but fails to mention serious developments such as Lynas-Blue Line\u2019s Texas plant, MP Materials\u2019 <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/news\/delayed-chips-heavy-magnets-the-quiet-leverage-behind-washingtons-pause\/\" title=\"Delayed Chips, Heavy Magnets: The Quiet Leverage Behind Washington\u2019s Pause\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"97562\">NdFeB magnet<\/a> facility (and deal with General Motors) or the DoD-backed magnet supply chain investments under both Trump and Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Strategic Alliances Mischaracterized<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Fig suggests Trump\u2019s tariffs might alienate allies, but he ignores the more recent U.S.-led multilateral frameworks\u2014like the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP)\u2014that are actively coordinating REE diversification with Australia, Canada, Japan, and the EU.\u00a0 It\u2019s not too late, as Rare Earth Exchanges (REEx) has suggested, for POTUS to reinvigorate Five Eyes and other alliance for mineral security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Assuming Intent in Foreign Policy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The linkage between U.S. interest in Ukraine or Greenland and REEs is speculative. Ukraine\u2019s critical mineral potential (e.g., in the Dnipro and Krivoy Rog basins) is real but not yet strategically developed. Greenland\u2019s Kvanefjeld deposit is controversial and blocked by its government over uranium risks.\u00a0 <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/us-partnerships-in-rare-earth-supply-chains\/\" title=\"US Partnerships in Rare Earth Supply Chains: 5 Key Insights\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"97560\">Yes<\/a>, the author is likely correct, but so much more goes into the final product, an emphasis the author skirts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">REEx Commentary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Robert Fig\u2019s commentary offers a compelling geopolitical warning, rooted in commodity risk realities. He paints a clear picture of China\u2019s mineral dominance as a threat multiplier, rightly framing the urgency. However, his piece risks overstatement by ignoring recent U.S. and allied supply chain strategies, public-private partnerships, and the technical barriers that matter more than political gestures. It\u2019s quite possible to catch up, but as REEx has declared, industrial policy will help accelerate <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/news\/africas-critical-minerals-are-still-cost-competitive-but-the-cost-curve-is-steepening\/\" title=\"Africa\u2019s Critical Minerals Are Still Cost-Competitive-But the Cost Curve Is Steepening\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"97561\">competitive<\/a> reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fig's framing of the rare earth battle as a zero-sum, near-monopolistic struggle is effective, but lacks nuance. A more accurate view acknowledges that supply chain resilience requires years of coordination across mining, refining, manufacturing, and market transparency. Rare <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/news\/china-is-doubling-down-on-rare-earth-centered-industrial-control-at-scale-with-baogang-at-the-center\/\" title=\"China is Doubling Down on Rare Earth-Centered Industrial Control at Scale, with Baogang at the Center\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"97959\">earth control<\/a> is not just about holding the ore\u2014it\u2019s about engineering and industrial policy mastery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Discuss this topic in the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/forum.wordpress-1542803-6000058.cloudwaysapps.com\/?_gl=1*jbcln5*_ga*MTY2OTYzNTMyMC4xNzQ3OTU4MjU0*_ga_EMXG7HN7E2*czE3NDgxMDg3MDgkbzckZzAkdDE3NDgxMDg3MDgkajAkbDAkaDA.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"external-link\">REEx Forum<span class=\"sr-only\"> (opens in a new tab)<\/span><\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<span class=\"et_bloom_bottom_trigger\"><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China&#8217;s rare earth mineral dominance threatens global geopolitical balance, revealing critical vulnerabilities in Western industrial and strategic mineral policies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"news-type":[125,124,122],"organization":[325,326],"regions":[315,320],"class_list":["post-5925","news-archive","type-news-archive","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","news-type-aerospace-defense","news-type-electronics","news-type-ree-news","organization-lynas-rare-earths","organization-mp-materials","regions-china","regions-united-states"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-archive\/5925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-archive"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news-archive"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5925"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-archive\/5925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78463,"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-archive\/5925\/revisions\/78463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=5925"},{"taxonomy":"organization","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/organization?post=5925"},{"taxonomy":"regions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rareearthexchanges.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/regions?post=5925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}