China’s golden grip: rare earths and the new global leverage

China is expected to retain its dominance over the world’s rare-earth supply chain for at least another decade, underscoring beijing’s enduring leverage in industries critical to global growth and security. despite fresh u.s. and allied investment in mining and refining, analysts say it will take years to erode china’s control- now spanning roughly 70 percent of production and 90 percent of processing, according to al jazeera.

beijing will tighten that grip further on december 1, when new export rules take effect requiring licenses for magnets and components containing chinese-sourced materials. the move highlights how deeply sectors such as clean energy, defense, and semiconductors remain tethered to chinese supply.

efforts in the u.s., australia, and europe to diversify production are accelerating, but capital, technical, and environmental barriers remain steep. for investors, the rare-earth race is more than a commodities story- it is a defining fault line in global power, where access to materials increasingly dictates access to technology itself.