Navigated to China Dominates Rare Earths – Can It Be Copied?

China Dominates Rare Earths – Can It Be Copied?

August 6
26 mins

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Episode Description

China has a near monopoly on rare earths due to decades of government foresight. The country controls 70% of mining and nearly all processing of the vital minerals used in cars, data centers and defense equipment. It's one of the biggest cards China can play in trade talks with the US.

When China restricted its flow of rare earths to the US earlier this year, companies shuddered. Ford had to stop production at some plants. How did China come to dominate this industry? Can companies in the US, Japan, South Korea and elsewhere replicate China's success? And what are the roadblocks?

Curtis Moore, senior vice president at uranium-miner Energy Fuels, joins John and Katia to break down the global rare earth industry.

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