A factory worker inspects car batteries at Xinwangda Electric Vehicle Battery Co. Ltd., which makes lithium batteries for electric cars and other uses, in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China, on March 12, 2021. STR/AFP via Getty Images
The United States dominated the rare-earths industry in the 1980s with domestic miners leading the world in extraction and U.S. scientists spearheading breakthroughs in using these 17 elements to develop permanent magnets and new generations of batteries.
However, within a decade, China became the world’s leading producer of rare earths and critical minerals essential in modern electronics, including those with military applications, and by 2024, it commanded a near monopoly, with its industries controlling 90 percent of the global rare-earths refining market.
