How a 30-yr-old decision helped China beat the US in battle for rare earths

China now accounts for 70 per cent of global production, and there's only one US mine in operation

It was Beijing’s decision almost 30 years ago to make rare earths a strategic material and ban foreigners from mining them that helped pave the way for China to elbow aside the US as the world’s leading producer.

In the intervening period, as China tightened control of domestic output of rare earths -- a broad group of 17 elements used in everything from electric vehicles to military hardware -- the US all but surrendered to China’s dominance of the sector.

With China now accounting for 70 per cent of global production, and only one US mine in operation, American industries outside of