Rare Earth Dominance Puts China in Powerful Geopolitical Position

Their names are difficult to pronounce, they're essential for modern manufacturing, and they're increasingly at the center of the escalating trade war between the United States and China. The global supply of these rare earths -- an essential group of 17 elements that find themselves in everything from electric vehicle batteries to vital defense technology -- are also mostly controlled by China. Beijing is now looking to use that strategic leverage amid the growing trade spat and rising tensions with Washington. In response to recently imposed…