Germany and South Korea face a critical vulnerability in their rare earths supply chains as the United States and Japan move rapidly to secure long-term agreements with the world's limited pool of non-Chinese producers, the chief executive of Australian rare earths developer Arafura has warned
The alert comes as China's export restrictions on key rare earth minerals — imposed last year — continue to reverberate through the automotive and defence industries globally, accelerating a scramble among Western nations to lock up alternative supply With only two Western producers currently operating at scale — Australia's Lynas Rare Earths and US-based MP Materials at its Mountain Pass deposit — available supply outside China is extremely constrained
