US F-35 Jet Production at Risk if China Cuts Rare Earth Exports Amid Trade War

The ongoing trade war between the United States and China may take a dramatic turn for the Pentagon if Beijing, the leading supplier of rare earths, chooses to give Donald Trump a taste of his own medicine and imposes tariffs on the minerals essential for the manufacture of everything: from military equipment to high-tech products.

The US-made fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter may fall victim to the ongoing trade war between Washington and Beijing as Chinese media outlets have speculated over a possible ban on sales of rare earths — elements critical to the production of cutting-edge weapons and high-tech products — in retaliation for US tariffs, according to Bloomberg.

https://sputniknews.com/world/201905301075465322-china-trade-us-f35-fighter-jet-production/

10 Top Countries for Rare Earth Metal Production

https://investingnews.com/daily/resource-investing/critical-metals-investing/rare-earth-investing/rare-earth-producing-countries/

HOLY FUCK, CHINA OWNS ALMOST ALL RARE EARTH METALS.

>>6627084

Holy Moly, and POTUS was in Japan, this is too good.

Always one step ahead.

>>6627084

Around 80% of the rare earths imported by the United States comes from China, according to US government data.

Estonia, France and Japan also supply processed rare earths to the US, but the original ore comes from China.

Only this is maybe little scary.

>>6627084

>>6627113

Can RARE EARTH METALS be KEYSTONE?

>>6627113

Trump’s North Korea Play: a Ploy to Secure Vast Deposits of Rare Earth Elements?

It’s not far-fetched to consider ‘The Art of the Deal’ applied to North Korea’s allegedly vast rare earth resources.

This may not be about condos on North Korean beaches after all. Arguably, the heart of the matter in the Trump administration’s embrace of Kim Jong-un has everything to do with one of the largest deposits of rare earth elements (REEs) in the world, located only 150 km northwest of Pyongyang and potentially worth billions of US dollars.

All the implements of 21st century technology-driven everyday life rely on the chemical and physical properties of 17 precious elements on the periodic chart also known as REEs.

Currently, China is believed to control over 95% of global production of rare earth metals, with an estimated 55 million tons in deposits. North Korea for its part holds at least 20 million tons.

Rare earth elements are not the only highly strategic minerals and metals in this power play. The same deposits are sources of tungsten, zirconium, titanium, hafnium, rhenium and molybdenum; all of these are absolutely critical not only for myriad military applications but also for nuclear power.

(((Rare earth metallurgy also happens to be essential for US, Russian and Chinese weapons systems. The THAAD system needs rare earth elements, and so do Russia’s S-400 and S-500 missile defense systems.)))

It’s not far-fetched to consider ‘The Art of the Deal’ applied to rare earth elements. If the US does not attempt to make a serious play on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK’s) allegedly vast rare earth resources, the winner, once again, maybe Beijing. And Moscow as well – considering the Russia-China strategic partnership, now explicitly recognized on the record.

The whole puzzle may revolve around who offers the best return on investment; not on real estate but sexy metal, with the Pyongyang leadership potentially able to collect an immense fortune.

Is Beijing capable of matching a possible American deal? This may well have been a key topic of discussion during the third meeting in only a few weeks between Kim Jong-un and President Xi Jinping, exactly when the entire geopolitical chessboard hangs in the balance.

https://www.mintpressnews.com/is-trumps-north-korea-play-a-ploy-to-secure-vast-deposits-of-rare-earth-elements/244515/

>>6627188

Keystone to Trade War?

This US-China trade war ig having biggest global impact for decades.