US-China Critical Minerals Standoff: Who Blinks First?
Rare earths, lithium, gallium and germanium are now bargaining chips as Washington and Beijing quietly squeeze each other's critical-mineral supply chains.
Rare earths, lithium, gallium, germanium — names lifted from a chemistry textbook, now parked at opposite ends of a negotiating table. On one side, China's long grip on refining; on the other, Washington's sprint to rebuild supply chains with allies.
A reporter sums it up in a single phrase: mutual restraint. Two supply chains, two pairs of scissors, blades pressed against blades — neither can close.
The smoke hasn't risen, but the invoices already have. And the first laughs tend to come from the miners and middlemen quietly raising prices in the gap.