{"id":25967,"date":"2025-04-15T04:00:06","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T04:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=25967"},"modified":"2025-04-15T04:23:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T04:23:27","slug":"what-are-rare-earth-metals-the-exports-halted-by-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=25967","title":{"rendered":"What Are Rare Earth Metals, the Exports Halted by China?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<p id=\"article-summary\" class=\"css-79rysd e1wiw3jv0\">China\u2019s new restrictions on exports of the metals could have an impact on the production of everything from LED lights to fighter jets.<\/p>\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For years, the Chinese government has worked to control the export of rare earths, a group of metals used in an array of products, as common as semiconductors and lights. Now, in its trade war with the United States, China is <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/26\/business\/china-critical-minerals-semiconductors.html\" title>moving to limit the market<\/a> for these metals even further, which could have disastrous consequences for American manufacturing and military power. So, what exactly are these metals, and why are they so important?<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-5c841f24\">What are rare earths?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">There are 17 types of metals known as rare earths, which span the periodic table and are crucial to industries like technology, energy and transportation. With names like terbium, praseodymium and dysprosium, the metals are <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irena.org\/-\/media\/Irena\/Files\/Technical-papers\/IRENA_Rare_Earth_Elements_2022.pdf\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">important ingredients<\/a> for some of the most advanced technologies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Rare earths can be sorted into two kinds: heavy and light. Heavy rare earths have a greater atomic weight and are typically more rare, meaning they sell in smaller quantities and are prone to shortages. Light metals, by contrast, have a lesser atomic weight. The two most important are neodymium and praseodymium, which are primarily used to create magnets.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-e45914b\">What are they used for?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The uses for rare earths are expansive: semiconductor chips that power artificial intelligence; the motors of electric vehicles; fighter jets and guided missiles used by the U.S. military; wind turbines; and LED lights found in millions of households, among others.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"Dropzone-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Many rare earths have chemical properties that make them heat resistant, so they can be used to create high-quality magnets, glass, lights and batteries. Magnets made from rare earths are significantly more powerful \u2014 and valuable \u2014 than other types, especially in <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2023\/05\/16\/business\/china-ev-battery.html\" title>electric car production<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-16e20a4e\">Does the United States produce rare earths?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The United States has just one operational rare earths mine, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2010\/04\/22\/business\/energy-environment\/22rare.html\" title>in Mountain Pass, Calif.<\/a>, which produces around 15 percent of global rare earths.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-kbghgg\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171quhb\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F15%2Ftechnology%2Frare-earth-metals-china-exports.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F15%2Ftechnology%2Frare-earth-metals-china-exports.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F15%2Ftechnology%2Frare-earth-metals-china-exports.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F15%2Ftechnology%2Frare-earth-metals-china-exports.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China\u2019s new restrictions on exports of the metals could have an impact on the production of everything from LED lights to fighter jets.For years, the Chinese government has worked to control the export of rare earths, a group of metals used in an array of products, as common as semiconductors and lights. Now, in its trade war with the United States, China is moving to limit the market for these metals even further, which could have disastrous consequences for American manufacturing and military power. So, what exactly are these metals, and why are they so important?What are rare earths?There are 17 types of metals known as rare earths, which span the periodic table and are crucial to industries like technology, energy and transportation. With names like terbium, praseodymium and dysprosium, the metals are important ingredients for some of the most advanced technologies.Rare earths can be sorted into two kinds: heavy and light. Heavy rare earths have a greater atomic weight and are typically more rare, meaning they sell in smaller quantities and are prone to shortages. Light metals, by contrast, have a lesser atomic weight. The two most important are neodymium and praseodymium, which are primarily used to create magnets.What are they used for?The uses for rare earths are expansive: semiconductor chips that power artificial intelligence; the motors of electric vehicles; fighter jets and guided missiles used by the U.S. military; wind turbines; and LED lights found in millions of households, among others.Many rare earths have chemical properties that make them heat resistant, so they can be used to create high-quality magnets, glass, lights and batteries. Magnets made from rare earths are significantly more powerful \u2014 and valuable \u2014 than other types, especially in electric car production.Does the United States produce rare earths?The United States has just one operational rare earths mine, in Mountain Pass, Calif., which produces around 15 percent of global rare earths.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25969,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25967"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25970,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25967\/revisions\/25970"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}