US Report Urges Action to Ensure Rare Earth Supply, Amid Trade Tensions With China

File photo of a rare earth mine in the Baiyunebo mining district of Baotou in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. China is the world’s largest supplier of rare earth elements. AP Photo, File

The U.S. government said it would take “unprecedented action” to ensure the country doesn’t get cut off from supplies of rare earths and other critical elements, after the Chinese regime suggested that it would stop selling the strategically important minerals to the United States.

The Department of Commerce published a 50-page report on June 4 that included 61 recommendations, including measures to boost domestic production, in order to reduce the country’s dependence on imports, mostly from China.