How China Beat Out the U.S. to Become the Top Player in Rare-Earths Refining

Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how President Trump wants to secure the minerals the U.S. needs for everything from smartphones to jet fighters by striking deals in Ukraine, Greenland and even Russia.  But even if the Trump administration secures more mines for American companies through agreements like the mineral-rights deal being discussed with Ukraine, it may have to send much of the minerals to China—its main geopolitical rival—to be processed.  March 24, 2025.