[Big read] Can China use rare earths to checkmate the US?

As the tariff war rages on between China and the US, the rare earths versus chips battle is happening simultaneously. It is a battle that shows how technology and natural resources have become key bargaining chips in the rivalry between superpowers, and has once again put the spotlight on a previously little-known industrial feedstock — rare earths.“The Middle East has oil, China has rare earths.