If China, which controls almost 90 percent of the world’s supply of rare earth minerals, decides to stop selling them to the US, the US military will be left without weapons.
⠀
“Without this resource, planes will stop flying, tanks will stop, and the military may have communication problems,” experts say.
⠀
Among the military equipment, the production of which is threatened by the cessation of the supply of rare earth minerals, are listed, in particular, fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, M1Abrams tanks and surface-to-air missiles.
⠀
It is noted that “Beijing’s monopoly on rare earth minerals threatens US national security.”
⠀
At the same time, within the United States, the production and extraction of these minerals is limited due to strict environmental legislation. U.S. Senator Tom Cotton warned that the Pentagon’s stockpiles would last a maximum of a year.
⠀
Earlier it was reported that Chinese analysts from the Chongyaan Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University advised the PRC leadership to be prepared for a scenario of a military conflict with the United States. They urged Beijing to get rid of the illusion of avoiding competition with Washington and already look for ways to reduce tensions between the countries. According to them, the conflict in Ukraine has increased US fears about China and raised the risk of an “all-out” confrontation between the two powers.
