G7 Roadblocks Stall Trump’s Mineral Push

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China’s iron grip on rare earths still gives Beijing dangerous leverage over America’s weapons, factories, and wallets — and the clock is ticking for patriots to break free.^[4]^[7]

Story Snapshot

China controls most global rare earth mining, refining, and magnet making, giving it a powerful chokehold on U.S. industry and defense.^[4]^[7]
Beijing has already used export restrictions to hit American rare earth firms and defense supply chains in response to U.S. actions.^[6]^[8]
U.S. mines and new magnet plants are coming online, but long timelines and past green rules still slow real independence.^[2]^[4]
Trump’s second-term push for critical minerals faces resistance from G7 allies and globalists who dislike hard American pricing power.^[1]^[8]

China’s Rare Earth Chokehold on America’s Security

Chinese leaders spent decades building control over rare earth materials that power jets, missiles, electric vehicles, and advanced electronics.^[4]^[8] Today, China accounts for about 70% of rare earth mine production worldwide and about 90% of refined output, giving it near-total control over key magnet ingredients.^[7]^[12] Its firms dominate the costly processing stages and command most of the export market, which lets Beijing shape prices and supplies at will.^[2]^[5] This is not a normal trade issue; it is a strategic weapon.

Recent export control moves prove that point. In April 2025, China imposed controls on seven heavy rare earth elements used in high-performance magnets, then added five more critical to defense systems later that year.^[8] Analysts say these steps show China’s ability to tighten upstream supplies even as its own magnet factories ramp up.^[8]^[10] Beijing has also barred exports to certain American rare earth producers and restricted magnet technologies, directly targeting U.S. defense-linked companies.^[6]^[4] For a country that still imports key materials from China, this is a serious wake-up call.^[7]

How America Got Hooked on Chinese Critical Materials

For years, Washington allowed globalist trade ideas and green activism to shut down or block mining and processing at home, while offshoring heavy industry to China.^[2]^[11] Environmental rules and “not in my backyard” politics made it harder to open mines and refineries in the United States, even as demand for magnets and batteries exploded.^[3]^[11] Reports show the United States now has only one active rare earth mine at Mountain Pass, California, and lacks enough refining capacity to meet its own needs.^[8] That gap forced America to lean on Chinese plants and technology for magnets, batteries, and other critical parts.

The result is deep dependence across many sectors, not just defense. China refines most of the world’s cobalt and lithium used in electric vehicle batteries, and produces a large share of those batteries themselves.^[3]^[12] It controls more than two-thirds of global printed circuit board fabrication, essential for everything from missile defense to ventilators.^[6] China also dominates supplies of key drug ingredients, with most generic medicines relying on inputs from China and India.^[6]^[7] This web of reliance means any clash over Taiwan, trade, or security can quickly become a pressure campaign against American families, factories, and troops.

Trump’s Push to Break Dependence and the Globalist Pushback

The Trump administration has moved to counter this leverage with a “whole-of-government” critical minerals strategy, using tariffs, price supports, and financing to rebuild supply chains in the United States and allied countries.^[1]^[8] Agencies like the Department of Energy and Department of Defense are backing new mining, refining, and magnet projects, including pilot funding for firms such as USA Rare Earth with completion targets around 2026.^[6] Companies like MP Materials and Energy Fuels report progress on turning U.S.-mined rare earths into permanent magnets for electric vehicles and hybrids, cutting exposure to Chinese exports.^[4]^[7]

At the same time, Trump’s team is working with partners such as Australia, India, and Japan through Quad and G7 frameworks to diversify supplies and limit any one country from providing more than 60% of rare earth imports by 2030.^[6]^[8] But these talks are not smooth. Several European allies resist strong U.S. pricing tools and prefer softer, multilateral approaches through groups like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which could blunt firm American leverage.^[1]^[9] That tension reflects a broader clash between Trump’s America First energy and security agenda and elite globalist habits that helped create the problem.

Can U.S. Projects Catch Up Before the Next Crisis?

Real progress is happening, but time is tight. Analysts note that traditional mine development can take decades from discovery to production, and even friendly reports warn that new mining and processing alone may not fully offset China’s scale soon.^[1] China still holds many of the world’s rare earth reserves and has locked up upstream supplies across Asia, Africa, and Latin America through long-term deals.^[5]^[7] That makes refining and magnet plants in the United States vital, but also means Washington must streamline permits and cut red tape that environmental extremists use to stall development.

For conservative readers, the stakes are clear. A foreign communist regime should never have the power to slow our jets, ground our tanks, or raise prices on our medicine and energy. Yet years of outsourcing, green mandates, and faith in “rules-based” global markets left America exposed. Trump’s second term offers a chance to rebuild critical mineral strength, stand up to Beijing, and restore secure, affordable supply chains. Success will depend on keeping pressure on Washington to favor American workers, national security, and common sense over globalist comfort and woke obstruction.^[3]^[10]