U.S. Reforming Rare Earth Strategy to Reduce Exports in China

According to FT Chinese News, the United States is hastily taking action to restore raw materials necessary for the production of national defense equipment and green technology, and to reduce its dependence on rare earths. The report said that the US Department of Energy (Department of Energy) will formulate strategies in the next few weeks in order to increase US production, find alternative materials, and increase the efficiency of rare earth use. The Pentagon will also complete research on the dependence of the United States on rare earths.

The article stated that the US Congressman Kathy Dahlkemper had drafted a bill aimed at making the United States self-sufficient within five years. She hopes that this bill will be submitted to the House of Representatives this week for a total vote.

Reported that before the United States made this move, China took measures to restrict the export of rare earths, after US media reported that China banned the export of rare earths to Japan due to the "collision incident." Officials of the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China later stated that China has not taken any restrictions on Japanese exports of rare earths.

The article pointed out that China currently controls more than 90% of rare earth production. The United States was once the world’s leading producer of rare earths, but it is not currently mining any rare earths, mainly because of environmental and cost concerns. The last rare earth mine in the United States was closed in 2002.

Rare earths refer to 17 chemically similar metallic elements such as neodymium, scandium, and yttrium, which have unique magnetic, optical, and other properties that are critical to miniaturization, laser, and energy efficiency. These materials are used in a range of cutting-edge applications ranging from precision guided weapons, night vision and radar systems, to green technologies such as hybrid cars and wind turbines.