# rare earths
Latest news and articles about rare earths
Total: 17 articles found
From TikTok Refugees to Transformer Shortages: Ten Unexpected Business Shocks That Defined China in 2025
A string of unexpected developments in 2025—from TikTok users migrating to Xiaohongshu, to a transformer shortage limiting AI scalability—upended Chinese business. The year highlighted how geopolitics, surging technological demand and shifting consumer culture can swiftly elevate winners and expose strategic weaknesses.
Japan’s Big Gamble: Takaichi’s Fiscal Blitz Risks a ‘Truss Moment’ as Debt and Supply Chains Bite
Sanae Takaichi’s electoral win paves the way for ambitious fiscal stimulus, defence spending and a temporary cut to food consumption tax, moves that have boosted equities but raised alarms about Japan’s ability to finance such a course. With public debt near 230% of GDP and heavy dependence on foreign and Chinese processing capacity for strategic minerals, Tokyo faces a high-stakes test of credibility that could spill across bond, currency and commodity markets.
Japan’s Seabed Rare‑Earth Claim Bumps Into Technical and Strategic Realities
Japan has announced a large rare‑earth deposit beneath the seabed near Minami‑Tori‑shima, but deep water, engineering complexity, high extraction costs and environmental and regulatory hurdles make commercial exploitation unlikely in the near term. China’s existing lead in purification technology and cost structure means Tokyo’s claim is more of a political signal than an immediate challenge to Beijing’s dominance in rare‑earth supply chains.
Hong Kong Stocks Tick Up on Metals Rally as Tech Pauses
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose modestly as metals and rare‑earth related stocks led gains, while some optical‑communications and large internet names drifted lower. The moves reflect investor interest in commodity and battery supply chains amid broader geopolitical and industrial concerns about raw‑material security.
Beneath the Congratulations: Trump’s Frustration over Slow $550bn Japan-to-US Investment and the High-Stakes Bargain Ahead of a March Summit
President Trump publicly congratulated Japan’s newly strengthened LDP government while privately pressing Tokyo over slow progress on a $550 billion investment package pledged to the United States. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s March visit will bring proposals such as joint rare-earth development and the first tranche of investments, but deep mutual distrust and high American demands risk turning the bargain into a geopolitical lever rather than a simple economic pact.
Beijing Pushes Tech Self‑Reliance as Markets React: Rare‑Earths Rally, Refinancing Reforms and Regulatory Tightening Shape the Week
China’s latest policy moves marry stronger support for science‑heavy firms — via refinancing reforms and public promotion of tech self‑reliance — with tougher oversight of platform conduct and consumer safety. A notable rise in rare‑earth prices and fresh corporate investment announcements highlight the economic stakes: supply chains and capital allocation will increasingly reflect Beijing’s strategic priorities.
Trump’s “In My Term” Pledge to Beijing Rewrites the Taiwan Calculus
Chinese outlets reported that a late‑night call on 4 February 2026 ended with Donald Trump pledging to keep U.S.–China ties stable “in my term,” a formulation Beijing has portrayed as a promise to prevent U.S. intervention that could escalate the Taiwan situation. The call, alongside resumed cross‑Strait exchanges and stalled Taiwanese defence spending, has prompted debate about the longer‑term security dynamics across the Taiwan Strait.
Washington Lines Up 30 Allies and $12bn Stockpile to Blunt China’s Rare-Earth Leverage
The U.S. has launched a diplomatic and financial effort to reduce reliance on Chinese-controlled processing of critical minerals by creating a roughly 30-country partnership and a $12 billion stockpile. Short-term measures can mitigate shocks, but long-term resilience requires building refining capacity, recycling and sustained industrial investment that cannot be solved by hoarding alone.
Japan’s Deep‑Sea Rare‑Earth Claim Provides Political Cover — Not a Market Breakthrough
Japan’s claim to have located large rare‑earth deposits near Minamitorishima and its plan for a 2027 trial eases domestic political pressure after Chinese export curbs, but substantial technical, economic and environmental barriers make rapid independence from Chinese supplies unlikely. Beijing’s structural advantages in extraction and refining mean China is likely to remain central to global rare‑earth supplies in the near to medium term.
Retail Rush and Policy Support: A‑Share New Accounts Soar as Walmart Briefly Tops $1 Trillion
January saw a dramatic surge in Chinese retail participation with nearly 4.92 million new A‑share accounts, while the PBOC provided targeted three month liquidity to smooth seasonal pressures. Globally, the US moved to build a critical minerals reserve to reduce reliance on China, and Walmart briefly eclipsed a $1 trillion market cap, underscoring divergent strengths in consumer and tech segments.
Japan Declares Breakthrough in Deep‑sea Rare‑earth Harvesting as Beijing’s Export Curbs Bite
Japan says it has successfully retrieved rare‑earth mud from seabed deposits near Minami‑Tori‑Shima and hopes to begin commercial mining by February 2027 if trials continue to succeed. The move is partly a response to China’s recent export controls, but technical, financial and environmental barriers make the 2027 timeline ambitious.
Japan's Deep‑Sea Gamble: Mining the Pacific to Escape China’s Rare‑Earth Grip
Japan has begun sea trials to harvest rare‑earth‑rich mud off Minami‑Tori‑shima, seeking to reduce reliance on China’s dominant refining industry. The tests face steep technical, economic and environmental hurdles, and even successful extraction would not immediately displace China’s lead in processing and supply chains.