Backed by West, Brazil Joins Race to Challenge China’s Dominance in Rare Earth Industry

Brazil has the world’s third-largest reserves of rare earth minerals.

A Lynas Corp worker walks past sacks of rare earth concentrate waiting to be shipped to Malaysia, at Mount Weld, northeast of Perth, Australia, on Aug. 23, 2019. Melanie Burton/File Photo/Reuters

Backed by Western investment and expertise, Brazil has become the latest country to join the U.S.-led push to break China’s dominance in the global rare earth elements sector, opening up the first of several planned mines set to tap its rare earth element reserves.

Coupled with expanded investment and cooperation in rare earth element exploration and development by countries such as Australia, the United States, Japan, Vietnam, and others, China observers say that the Chinese communist regime is losing its leverage in geopolitics and its competition with the West.