Highlights

• China's geological surveys since the 1950s have identified rich mineral deposits in Tibet, including copper, lithium, and rare earth elements.
• Tibet's mineral wealth underpins China's green transition and geopolitical leverage, with significant environmental and ethical implications.
• While some claims are speculative, the paper highlights Tibet's critical role in global rare earth supply chains and resource control.

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The paper “Tibet’s Hidden Power: Rare Earths in a Land Under Occupation” is authored by Tenzin Jigmey, a high school chemistry teacher and adjunct lecturer at Union County College, New Jersey. His central hypothesis is that Tibet’s vast rare earth and critical mineral reserves—mapped since the 1950s by Chinese state institutions—have become a cornerstone of China’s dominance in rare earth production, yet this wealth has come at immense cost to Tibetans and carries major implications for global supply chains.

Rock-Solid Grounding

Jigmey’s historical framing is supported by evidence: China’s geological surveys of Tibet in the 1950s–60s identified rich copper, lithium, and rare earth belts. Known deposits include Qulong Copper Mine, Gyama Polymetallic Mine, and the Zabuye lithium brine lake, which the USGS confirms as one of the world’s richest brine reserves. The description of rare earth-bearing belts in the Southern Himalayas and Western Kunlun aligns with independent geological literature. His reference to yttrium finds near Mount Everest is also backed by published geochronology studies.

Where the Argument Overreaches

The claim that “60% of U.S. rare earth imports come from occupied Tibet” is not supported by trade data. U.S. Geological Survey statistics confirm that China supplies the bulk of U.S. rare earth imports, but they do not distinguish between production from Inner Mongolia (Bayan Obo) and Tibetan sites. Suggesting a fixed percentage attributable to Tibet is therefore speculative. Likewise, while there is credible documentation of pollution, displacement, and inequities in mining communities, the argument that resource extraction directly equates to “ethnic cleansing” reflects advocacy language rather than verifiable mining data.

The Bigger Picture

The strongest takeaway is how Tibet’s mineral wealth underpins China’s green transition and geopolitical leverage, from EV batteries to advanced defense systems. Environmental impacts—documented contamination near Gyama and heavy water use at Zabuye—are well grounded in external reports. The paper’s unique contribution is reminding the global community that these resources are politically and ethically contested, not just economically strategic.

Rare Earth Exchanges Take

Tibet’s deposits matter—and not just for China. Suppose Beijing controls one of the world’s richest frontier regions for copper, lithium, and rare earths. In that case, supply chain resilience efforts in the U.S., EU, and India cannot ignore Tibet’s role in China’s monopoly. While some numbers lean speculative and activist framing sometimes overshadows data, Jigmey’s broader thesis is sound: Tibet is central to the rare earth story, and silence about it benefits Beijing.

Source: Tibetan Review (opens in a new tab), Aug. 28, 2025.

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