For those who have long warned about a growing US dependence on Chinese supply chains, Donald Trump is their moment in the sun. Last month the US president
ordered a review of the country’s defence supply chain, claiming it faced gaps due to a loss of manufacturing jobs over the past decade. Only one company in the US can now repair propellers for Navy submarines, his administration said.
Rare earths, 17 elements that are used in magnets for wind turbines and electric-vehicle motors, as well as in military lasers and missiles, are core to the debate, since China has an almost complete monopoly over their supply. “The Middle East has oil, China has rare earths,” former leader Deng Xiaoping declared in 1992.
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