Rare earths are China’s bargaining chip in the trade war — the U.S. is trying to fix that
Rare earths refer to 17 elements on the periodic table whose atomic structure gives them special magnetic properties. They're also the most important bargaining chip in the U.S. and China trade war. That's because these rare earth magnets power everything from electric vehicles and wind turbines to defense equipment, data centers and high-tech consumer electronics. The United States used to be an industry leader of rare earth production, but for the last several decades, the U.S. and the rest o