[sylware]

China will lose its rare earth minerals near monopoly?

[ceejayoz]

They never really had one.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/06/11/norway-discovers-europes-lar...

https://www.wsj.com/articles/wyoming-hits-the-rare-earth-mot...

They're not that rare, China's just a place that can extract it cheaply and not care too much about pollution.

[hexator]

Neither of those deposits are being extracted in large enough scale yet to make a dent in the near-monopoly China has.

[ceejayoz]

Only because it hasn't really been necessary.

[hexator]

And because it's not economical and there hasn't been sufficient government subsidies as of yet to mine them. The barrier is quite high, and it's not clear if tariffs are enough.

[ceejayoz]

Tarriffs will not be enough.

A trade war / embargo will be.

[JumpCrisscross]

> trade war / embargo will be

Unclear. Historically, this just shifts production from the warring parties to neutrals. (An effect amplified by economies of scale.)

[JumpCrisscross]

> China's just a place that can extract it cheaply and not care too much about pollution

Welcome to the new Ukraine.