Dec. 04, 2025 –
By Robin Mitchell, electropages
Rare-earth minerals are essential to the modern world, powering everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to defence systems and renewable energy technologies. Yet, as the global demand for these materials surges, so too does the risk of relying heavily on a single supplier. Today, China holds a dominant position in rare-earth mining and refining, leaving much of the world vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and geopolitical leverage.
What makes these minerals so difficult to replace, how has the West responded to this strategic dependency, and could recent research from the University of Minnesota mark the beginning of a post-rare-earth era?