"For countries to reduce their dependence on China, they will have to secure a complex set of supply chains that span mining, processing, metallisation and magnet manufacturing. The self-sufficiency push faces challenges including high capital costs, gaps in technical expertise and environmental risks. It also involves chasing a moving target due to the surging demand for the minerals, which are used in everything from smartphones to electric cars and fighter jets."
"As China threatens to restrict the supply of rare earths, the United States and other countries that depend on the critical minerals are scrambling to diversify supply chains and achieve self-sufficiency. But with even with sustained political will and billions of dollars in investment, breaking China's dominance over rare earth supplies is likely to take at least a decade, if not longer, according to analysts and industry experts."
Breaking China’s dominance over rare earths will likely take at least a decade, and possibly longer. Countries attempting to reduce dependence must build integrated supply chains spanning mining, processing, metallisation, and magnet manufacturing. Major obstacles include high capital costs, shortages of technical expertise, environmental risks, and rapidly rising global demand for applications from smartphones to electric vehicles and military systems. With sustained policy support and investment momentum, creating a supply chain with adequate breadth and depth could take roughly 10–15 years. Current flows show the US importing about 10,000 tonnes of rare earth magnets annually from China and Europe importing over 25,000 tonnes.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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