Washington is moving to push Chinese rare earths out of US weapons production: a recent executive order requires major arms makers to trace their multi-tier supply chains and phase the minerals out, the South China Morning Post reports.
Rare earth minerals go into weapons manufacturing, and US arms makers have for years drawn on cheap supplies from China. Washington now wants to end that reliance, setting US defence procurement policy against Chinese suppliers who sit deep inside the industry's supply chains.
A recent US executive order requires major arms manufacturers to trace their multi-tier supply chains and actively phase out Chinese rare earths, the South China Morning Post reported. The measure is aimed at ending years of reliance on cheap minerals from China.