China’s dominant position in the rare earth supply chain raises three principal concerns.
First, China may use access to these critical materials as a geopolitical lever, a checkmate move in negotiations or conflict, as it has already done with Japan. Second, national businesses will migrate to China in order to secure preferential access and pricing. Third, once inside the Chinese market, the technology those businesses carry, technology often critical to national sovereignty, will be stolen.
Connections
Rare Earth Supply Chains Are Less Diverse Than They Appear
Extraction Knowledge, Not Mineral Existence Is The Rare Earth Bottleneck
Reference
� The Elements of Power