The unremarkable soil, a bargaining chip in the game of major powers: the undercurrents of the rare earths scramble

You pick up your phone, browse the news, and take a photo. You might never have thought that these seemingly ordinary actions are actually tied to a mysterious yet crucial resource - rare earths. The name sounds a bit earthy, even a bit "rustic", but it is the "invisible king" of modern technology and industry. From smartphones and electric vehicles to missile guidance and satellite communications, even wind power generation, none of them can do without it. The global race for rare earths has quietly evolved into a war without gunsmoke.

Rare earths are not "earth", but a collective term for 17 kinds of metal elements. They are hidden in the earth's crust, widely distributed but difficult to extract. The reason they are called "rare earths" is not because they are rare, but because they are usually dispersed and rarely concentrated in easily accessible ore deposits. This is like looking for gold on the beach - sand is everywhere, but there are few places where you can actually dig out gold grains. The global reserves of rare earths are actually not small, but the number of countries with economically viable extraction conditions is very limited.

China holds the absolute leading position in this rare earth race. More than 60% of the world's rare earth reserves are in China, and an even higher proportion of the refining and processing capacity is also concentrated here. The Bayan Obo mining area in Inner Mongolia is one of the world's largest rare earth mines, and China almost monopolizes the supply of medium and heavy rare earths. This is like holding the "vital point" of the global technology industry in the palm of your hand - no matter how good your chip design or advanced your weapons are, without rare earths, many key components cannot be produced.

But the importance of rare earths goes far beyond this. For example, neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets are a star product of rare earth applications. When used in motors, they can make electric vehicles run longer and make the vibration of mobile phones more powerful. Elements like terbium and dysprosium are core materials for precision-guided weapons and radar systems. Without them, missiles may not hit their targets accurately, and the performance of fighter jets will be greatly reduced. For this reason, rare earths have long been listed as "strategic resources" by various countries and even called "industrial vitamins".

Over the past few decades, the global rare earth supply chain has been dominated by China alone. But this has also brought problems. Around 2010, China briefly restricted rare earth exports, and international prices soared. Japan, the United States, and Europe all jumped up and down. Since then, many countries have realized that relying on a single supply source is too dangerous! Thus, a global rare earth "decoupling" and diversification race has officially begun.

The United States hurriedly restarted the Mountain Pass mine in California, while Australia, Myanmar, and Vietnam also began to accelerate exploration and mining. Japan even went to the bottom of the sea to look for rare earths and invested heavily in recycling technology - "panning for gold" from old mobile phones and hard drives. Europe was not far behind, trying to open up new sources in Greenland, Sweden, and other places. But the problem is that mining rare earths is only the first step. The more difficult part is refining and processing. This process is complex and polluting. China has taken decades to form a mature system, and it is almost impossible for other countries to catch up in a short time.

Apart from mining and environmental protection, technological competition is also quietly escalating. In recent years, China has continuously strengthened its control over the rare earth industry chain, extending step by step from mining, separation to material processing and device manufacturing. The United States and Japan, on the other hand, are trying to reduce their dependence through ally cooperation and technological substitution. For example, they are developing motors that use less or no rare earths and attempting to synthesize alternative materials. But in the short term, it is almost an impossible task to completely get rid of rare earths.

The competition for rare earths in the future will only become more intense. With the explosive growth of industries such as new energy, artificial intelligence, and aerospace, the demand for rare earths is expected to continue to rise. While countries are seeking new supply sources and investing heavily in recycling technologies, they are also quietly competing through diplomatic and economic means. Rare earths are no longer simply a commodity trade but have become a strategic chip in the game among major powers.