US has two months of rare earth supplies left, SCMP reports

The United States has roughly two months of rare earth supplies available for military use, a constraint that could influence how long Washington can sustain strikes on Iran, the South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday.Rare earth elements — used in missile guidance systems, fighter jets and radar technologies — are essential components in modern defence systems, leaving the US vulnerable to supply disruptions from top producer China.Washington’s dependence on Chinese supply has become a strategic concern as tensions escalate in the Middle East. Analysts told SCMP that Beijing could gain indirect leverage over the duration and cost of US military operations if exports or supply chains were restricted.The report comes ahead of US President Donald Trump’s scheduled trip to China later this month — his first since 2017.Analysts cited by the Chinese-owned paper suggests Beijing may have less urgency than Washington to reach an agreement on rare earth trade, given the current state of affairs in the Middle East.Marina Zhang, an associate professor at the University of Technology Sydney’s Australia-China Relations Institute, told SCMP that China’s control of rare earth supply chains gives it “significant indirect leverage over the duration and cost of potential conflicts.”Rare earth supply crunch triggers global power shift: ReportChina’s plansThe vulnerability comes as Western governments race to diversify rare earth supply chains. The Trump administration recently launched a $12 billion initiative aimed at stockpiling minerals like rare earths, and later marshaled allies to create a trade bloc.Despite such efforts, new projects outside China — which controls over half of the world’s mine supply and nearly all of the mineral processing — are expected to come online too slowly to prevent shortages, potentially shifting pricing power toward a small number of producers.Global reliance on Chinese supply was highlighted last year when Beijing imposed export controls on its rare earths, which left Western manufacturers scrambling for supplies to meet production deadlines.Recently, Beijing signalled its intention to further consolidate its leadership in the sector. Under its 15th Five-Year Plan, the Chinese government plans to strengthen development of its rare earth industry between 2026 and 2030 and improve export control systems governing the minerals.Those policies could deepen Beijing’s influence over global supply chains for materials critical to defence technologies, electronics and clean energy systems, analysts said.According to the USGS, China is the largest supplier of many US critical minerals.Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com