
So-called “rare earth elements” (“REE”) are extremely important to our daily lives and our economy. REE are a set of seventeen chemical elements. They are used in cell phones, batteries, computer disk drives, flat panel TVs, fiber optics, lasers, radar, solar cells, etc. There has been an explosion of demand for REEs given the huge increase in the production demand for rechargeable batteries, cell phones, and TVs. REEs are used in nuclear bombs, guided
Note that despite having the word “rare” in their name, most REEs are not rare and are abundant in the earth’s crust, but they are hard to find in economic concentrations.


Here’s a table of each rare earth element and its common use:

The vast majority of REEs are mined in China and, as such, key parts of the U.S. economy and technology are dependent on imports from China of REEs. Here’s a great diagram produced by the Congressional Research Service:

Here’s a graph showing the production history of REEs since the 1950s thru 2017.

Having a single country control the vast majority of these critical elements is dangerous and especially with a country with which we are embroiled in a trade war. In September of 2018, REEs were initially included in the list of goods subject to tariffs upon import to the
One possibility being explored by various entrepreneurs is whether mining REEs and other metals from asteroids or the moon is feasible.
Of course, China makes a lot of money selling REEs to the U.S. It would be a major economic hit for them to just stop selling REEs to the U.S.
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