Can Anyone Loosen China’s Grip on Critical Minerals?: QuickTake

China is the dominant supplier of materials that are vital for the production of electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, wind-turbine magnets and other low-carbon technologies.

Other nations need to challenge its lead if they are to compete effectively in these fast-growing industries. Those efforts took on greater urgency in 2025 after China started to curb exports of rare earths in response to US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs.

The Trump administration has rolled out measures to build an alternative supply chain, investing directly in domestic miners and processors, extending finance to projects from Brazil to Australia and trying ...