WIRED Spins a Familiar Tale, “Rare Earth Elements Aren’t That Rare.” But Misses China’s True Power

Highlights

• WIRED article oversimplifies China’s rare earth element dominance by focusing on geological abundance rather than processing capabilities.
• China controls 90-100% of heavy rare earth refinement and over 92% of global magnet manufacturing, maintaining a decades-long strategic advantage.
• Western attempts to challenge China’s rare earth supply chain supremacy face significant technological and infrastructural barriers.

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A recent WIRED article (opens in a new tab) by Zeyi Yang, titled “Bad News for China: Rare Earth Elements Aren’t That Rare”, claims China’s grip on critical minerals is weakening. However, experts at Rare Earth Exchanges argue that the piece confuses geological availability with geopolitical dominance, and overlooks the core of China’s enduring power: its midstream and downstream stranglehold on global rare earth supply chains.

Yes, rare earth elements (REEs) are geologically abundant. And yes, the U.S., Canada, and Australia possess promising reserves. The article is also correct that China’s recent export controls—targeting heavy rare-earth elements (REEs) like dysprosium and terbium—are part of a retaliatory move in the ongoing trade war triggered by President Trump’s April 2025 tariff probe.

The report rightly identifies the steep rise in stockpile prices and the role of countries like Belgium in transshipping restricted minerals. It also notes the environmental and economic disincentives that drove Western countries out of rare earth refining in the first place.

Misinformation?

Zeyi Yang’s core assertion—that the abundance of rare earth elements undercuts China’s leverage—is misleading. Geological abundance means little to nothing without processing capacity, metallurgical know-how, and vertically integrated supply chains. On these fronts, China isn’t just ahead—it’s decades in front.

Nowhere in the article does WIRED fully acknowledge that:

• China refines 90–100% of heavy REEs, the most strategically critical for EVs, wind turbines, and defense.
• China dominates magnet manufacturing, controlling over 92% of global NdFeB magnet output.
• Western alternatives are years if not over a decade behind—the U.S. currently lacks a single operational separation plant for heavy REEs.
• Reshoring efforts take time—two years is a lowball estimate for permitting alone, not production.

The article presents China’s dominance as a “house of cards” susceptible to collapse if the West simply tries harder. This is wishful thinking at best, and propaganda possibly.  Separating, processing, and downstream manufacturing, not mining, is the bottleneck. And China’s command over that stage—enabled by decades of strategic state subsidies and environmental leniency—is not easily replicated.

Propaganda Wrapped in Optimism

Zeyi Yang’s article promotes a narrative of inevitability, suggesting China’s REE dominance is doomed because the elements themselves are common. That’s like saying Saudi Arabia’s power in oil markets doesn’t matter because the Earth has lots of oil.

This is a dangerous misconception. The U.S. and allies must invest now in separation plants, refining technologies, and magnet supply chains—if they hope to escape Beijing’s grip. Until then, China holds the levers, and pretending otherwise is not just poor analysis—it’s propaganda.