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‘Mutually assured disruption’: China’s rare earths give US a reality check
Beijing’s grip over these minerals reveals true balance of leverage in superpower rivalry.
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After President Donald Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs, Beijing hit back with export controls on seven rare earth elements and the magnets made from them.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Let’s be honest: The 17 rare earth elements lurking at the bottom of the periodic table – with names like dysprosium and terbium – are hardly on most people’s radars.
Even those with a passing grasp of chemistry likely have no idea what they look like, let alone what they are used for.
