Western countries need long-term action to secure rare-earth minerals essential to modern technology and military equipment, according to a Guardian editorial. Heavy dependence on China for mining and processing has created a strategic risk, making alternative supply systems increasingly urgent. China currently controls about 70 percent of global rare-earth mining and roughly 90 percent of separation and processing.

China halted exports of certain rare-earth minerals during tensions with Japan over disputed islands in 2010, triggering global concern, yet the supply structure changed little afterward. These materials are used in advanced weapons, smartphones, electric-vehicle batteries and wind turbines. Their low concentration in soil makes extraction and processing costly, complex and environmentally harmful, contributing to earlier reductions in Western production.

The United States announced a $12 billion plan in February to build critical-mineral stockpiles and formed an alliance with 54 partners including Australia, the European Commission and the United Kingdom. Europe aims to reduce import dependence by 2030 under its 2025 Critical Raw Materials Act. Recycling, recovering minerals from mine waste, investment and stronger partnerships are presented as parts of a long-term response.