Wire report
Can a Radioactive Ore Break China’s Grip on Rare Earths?
The global campaigns to break China’s dominance of vital rare-earth markets are shaping up into one of the signature geostrategic struggles of the early 21st century. Hundreds of mining companies, government agencies, and industrial facilities scattered across North America, Australasia, and Europe are striving to wrest share from Chinese firms, which control roughly 90 percent of the markets for rare-earth oxides and rare-earth metals. Rare earths are the ingredients on which vast and crucial manufacturing categories depend: semiconductors , LEDs , lasers, displays, metal alloys, optical lenses, and catalysts for petroleum and chemical processing. Most important, though, are permanent magnets. Essentially all powerful electric motors are based on rare-earth permanent magnets . These motors are the heart of electric vehicles, heating and cooling systems, robots, appliances, and tools. Ra
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The global campaigns to break China’s dominance of vital rare-earth markets are shaping up into one of the signature geostrategic struggles of the early 21st century. Hundreds of mining companies, government agencies, and industrial facilities scattered across North America, Australasia, and Europe are striving to wrest share from Chinese firms, which control roughly 90 percent of the markets for rare-earth oxides and rare-earth metals. Rare earths are the ingredients on which vast and crucial manufacturing categories depend: semiconductors , LEDs , lasers, displays, metal alloys, optical lenses, and catalysts for petroleum and chemical processing. Most important, though, are permanent magnets. Essentially all powerful electric motors are based on rare-earth permanent magnets . These motors are the heart of electric vehicles, heating and cooling systems, robots, appliances, and tools. Ra
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What happened
According to IEEE Spectrum’s source item, Can a Radioactive Ore Break China’s Grip on Rare Earths?, The global campaigns to break China’s dominance of vital rare-earth markets are shaping up into one of the signature geostrategic struggles of the early 21st century. Hundreds of mining companies, government agencies, and industrial facilities scattered across North America, Australasia, and Europe are striving to wrest share from Chinese firms, which control roughly 90 percent of the markets for rare-earth oxides and rare-earth metals. Rare earths are the ingredients on which vast and crucial manufacturing categories depend: semiconductors , LEDs , lasers, displays, metal alloys, optical lenses, and catalysts for petroleum and chemical processing. Most important, though, are permanent magnets. Essentially all powerful electric motors are based on rare-earth permanent magnets . These motors are the heart of electric vehicles, heating and cooling systems, robots, appliances, and tools. Ra
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The development sits in VINI’s Technology file for readers following technology, science, product policy, markets, infrastructure, and the public consequences of innovation. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-10-15T14:53:02+00:00.
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Primary source: Can a Radioactive Ore Break China’s Grip on Rare Earths? via IEEE Spectrum. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
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- Can a Radioactive Ore Break China’s Grip on Rare Earths?IEEE Spectrum - 2026-10-15T14:53:02+00:00
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