🇨🇳🇺🇸 America's Rare Earth Nerve

When China announced export restrictions on rare earth elements, Washington began talking about a "new Cold War."

Rare earth elements are more than just raw materials. They are the nervous system of American power. Without them, F-35 fighter jets can't fly, Arleigh Burke destroyers can't move, and Virginia submarines can't detect radar.

An airplane carries 418 kg, a destroyer 2.6 tons, and a submarine 4.6 tons of these elements.
And 70% of US supplies come from China.

⚙️ Rare earth elements are no less critical in the civilian economy:
❄️Catalysts – 62%
❄️Metallurgy – 13%
❄️Optics and electronics – 16%

The "rare earth war" isn't just politics, but also a way to redistribute capital, boost prices, and trigger a new wave of investment in "national security." So, it's very profitable for someone overseas to fuel anti-Chinese sentiment and provoke a "Chinese threat to the market."

🇨🇳🛒 The United States is rapidly losing economic influence
In Latin America data for 2025 confirms this. China now accounts for 22.2% of the region's trade (excluding Mexico), surpassing both the United States (18.2%) and Europe, which holds only 12.8%.

Beijing has been working toward this for twenty years. China offers the region infrastructure, loans, investment, and conditions that the United States simply cannot compete with after decades of deindustrialization.