China is amassing most of the world’s rare earth materials and is getting close to monopoly. That puts China in a powerful position to pressure other countries and to influence choices and policies of other states.
Rare earth metals are used to build advanced military weapons like fighter jets and laser parts but are also important resources for technology items such as computers, phones etc. China currently accounts for 80% of the world wide rare earth imports, according to the U.S. Geological survey.
Sven Franssen