A sample of bastnaesite ore, a mineral used in the rare earth industry to extract elements such as cerium, lanthanum, and neodymium, at the Geological Museum of China in Beijing. China recently expanded its rare-earths export controls.Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

Angela Huyue Zhang is a professor of law at the University of Southern California.

China’s weaponization of rare-earth minerals has emerged as a major flash point in U.S.-China trade negotiations. Further proof of this was supplied last week with China’s decision to curb rare-earth exports, and U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 100-per-cent tariffs on Chinese imports in retaliation.

These critical materials, especially the high-performance magnets they make possible, are vital components in electric vehicles, wind turbines, industrial robotics and advanced defence systems. In response to China’s strict rare-earths export controls, the United States has quietly lowered tariffs, relaxed export controls on AI chips, and even softened visa restrictions for Chinese students. At the same time, the U.S. is scrambling to secure alternative supplies. In July, the Department of Defense announced a landmark multi-billion-dollar investment........

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