In an escalation of his dispute with global trade partners, President Trump called for the Commerce Department to look at possible security risks from America's reliance on imported "rare earth minerals."
These are a group of 17 metallic elements that are difficult to extract from the earth, but are crucial for U.S. defense. The ask comes after China curbed exports of some of those minerals as part of its retaliation against American tariffs.
China dominates the rare earth mineral market, mining about 60% of the world's total supply, and this dominance has raised concerns about supply chain security. The White House says America's dependence on imports exposes the country to "economic coercion." A shortage of rare earths, however, could impact everything from electronics and clean energy to defense and medical diagnostic equipment.
