Raw material World remains dependent on China for rare earths according to study
US President Donald Trump would like to mine rare earths in Ukraine or Greenland in order to break China's dominance. However, according to a study, dependence on China will remain for a long time to come.
13.03.2025, 05:35
SDA
This is the conclusion of a study presented in Berlin by the German Mineral Resources Agency (Dera). The main reason for this is the current low world market prices for rare earths.
Rare earths are needed for electric car batteries, artificial intelligence and modern weapons systems. "All companies that currently mine or process rare earths are reporting economic problems," says Harald Elsner, co-author of the Dera study. "Even those in China." This makes it difficult to develop new deposits in other countries. In addition, the necessary infrastructure for mining and processing the materials is often lacking outside of China.
