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Chips won the Cold War; rare earths may win the next
The US is doing too little to close the energy-transition technological gap.
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A mine for heavy rare earth metals, the minerals crucial for everything from electric cars to drones, robots and missiles, on the outskirts of Longnan, China.
PHOTO: KEITH BRADSHER/NYTIMES
In retrospect, the symbolism of the moment was foreboding.
On May 15, 2019, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning US firms from doing business with Chinese telecommunications companies,


