Beijing’s ban on exporting six valuable minerals highlights America’s reliance on China for many raw materials that Washington has designated “critical.”

Despite the name, most REEs are not particularly rare. They were called “rare-earth elements” because, when they were discovered in the 18th and 19th centuries, they were found in minerals called “ear

From fighter planes to nuclear reactor rods and smartphones, rare earth minerals are vital to a wide array of products. As geopolitical and trade tensions rise, China’s dominance of both mining and processing means these niche metals have become a cudgel to use against opponents.