The Inquiry Can the world catch China in the rare earths race?
Feb 24, 2026
Dr Patrick Schröder, a Chatham House researcher on mining and recycling; Kalim Siddiqui, an international economist on trade and industrial strategy; Sophia Kalanzakos, an NYU Abu Dhabi professor on industrial policy and geopolitics; and Julie Michelle Klinger, a geographer of critical minerals. They discuss China's rise to dominance, the environmental costs of mining and refining, why catching up is hard, and the role of recycling and industrial strategy.
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Mountain Pass Discovery Shaped US Rare Earth Start
- Three prospectors in 1949 found uranium in the Mojave Desert and accidentally discovered the world's largest rare earth deposit at Mountain Pass.
- Mountain Pass became the US's early rare earth advantage but now is the only operational US mine and processor.
Why Rare Earths Power Modern Tech
- Rare earths are 17 chemically similar elements whose atomic structure gives them powerful magnetic, conductive and optical properties.
- Their strength lets tiny magnets replace bulky ones, enabling technologies from MRI machines to wind turbines and smartphones.
Separation Challenges Drive Pollution And Cost
- Rare earths are geochemically clustered and occur at low concentrations, making separation chemically intensive and polluting.
- Extraction needs grinding, chemical baths and heating, which is energy intensive and generates hazardous waste.