Opinion

The West still doesn’t grasp the danger of China’s rare earth endgame

Beijing's economic logic means every kilogram of rare earth is worth more inside a Chinese EV than sold as powder.

By Mark A. Smith Fox News

Published June 1, 2026 5:00am EDT

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If you drive a hybrid or an electric vehicle (EV), fly on a modern jet, or expect American weapons to hit their targets, you owe thanks to a small group of elements known as heavy rare earths. For more than a decade, China has been the world’s near-sole supplier. Last year, Beijing shut that door to Western defense companies.

Here is my prediction: it is not going to reopen for any industry in the West.

Some Western leaders keep treating each new Chinese export restriction as a bargaining chip — leverage to be traded for the right concession at the right summit. That is the wrong way to read what is happening. China is methodically executing a long-term economic and military plan to stop shipping these materials abroad altogether. It intends to send us Chinese-made EVs, wind turbines and robots built with dysprosium and terbium — not the oxides themselves.

Who would blame them? Keeping the entire mine-to-magnet-to-manufacturer chain inside China preserves jobs and stability at every........

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