President Donald Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington, a summit that comes as the United States continues to rely on China for rare earth minerals essential to national security. Rare earths, a group of 60 critical minerals, are used in weapons, automobiles, computers and many other products.

Domestic production still falls short

U.S. output of the two most‑used rare earths has more than tripled since President Trump returned to office, yet the country can meet only about 42% of its demand. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence projects that even five years from now the United States will still import roughly a quarter of its rare earth needs.

China’s export leverage remains

China, the world’s leading miner and refiner of rare earths, delayed export restrictions until November 10 last year and may seek to extend those limits during the upcoming talks. The White House had set a January 2027 deadline to end Chinese rare earth imports, a target that appears increasingly unattainable.

Government investment aims to reduce reliance

Since taking office, President Trump has made rare earths a national‑security priority, directing billions of dollars to companies such as MP Materials, USA Rare Earth and Energy Fuels. These investments have begun to show results, with MP Materials delivering domestically refined magnets to General Motors and USA Rare Earth acquiring a Brazilian mine and a French processing plant.

Industry analysts note that while the United States is making “rapid progress” in building a domestic supply chain, the full value chain—from mining to processing heavy rare earths used in military applications—remains a work in progress.

Experts stress realistic goals

“The goal isn’t for the U.S. to replace China as the dominant global supplier,” said Coco Zhang, an analyst at ING. “A more realistic objective is to build a meaningful alternative supply chain that can protect strategic sectors during periods of geopolitical disruption.”

Startup founder Kunal Sinha of Valor added, “We have to build this properly with urgency, and when we do, we will be able to meet that demand.”

Despite these efforts, some Chinese suppliers have already begun holding back shipments to the United States, raising concerns that a formal export block could further strain American manufacturers.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.