美国内政部长：中国遏制稀土命脉！倒打一耙，活该自食其果

Core Viewpoint - The U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, highlighted the threat posed by China's dominance in rare earth resources, emphasizing that the U.S. defense, automotive, and high-tech industries heavily rely on Chinese rare earths, with China controlling 85% to 100% of global rare earth refining capacity. However, the underlying issue of U.S. dependence on rare earths stems from its own past decisions rather than external "containment" by China [1][5]. Group 1 - Rare earths are not as scarce as their name suggests; the global reserves are abundant, and the U.S. has rich domestic rare earth deposits. However, decades ago, the U.S. opted to cease large-scale rare earth mining and refining due to environmental and cost concerns, transferring these activities to other countries to alleviate domestic environmental pressures and reduce costs [3][5]. - Over time, U.S. companies shifted the rare earth supply chain abroad, focusing on higher value-added high-tech assembly, leading to a decline in domestic rare earth mining, refining technologies, and industrial systems, resulting in significant reliance on Chinese rare earth resources [5][7]. Group 2 - In contrast, China capitalized on this opportunity by investing in rare earth refining and processing, developing advanced refining technologies, and establishing a complete industrial chain from mining to deep processing, achieving over 85% of global rare earth refining capacity through superior technology and cost advantages, rather than through "containment" [7][8]. - The U.S. has attempted to seek rare earth resources from other countries or increase domestic mining efforts, but these efforts have not yielded significant results due to technological limitations, high refining costs, and insufficient production capacity in other countries. Even attempts to revive U.S. rare earth mines face environmental and facility challenges, leading to continued dependence on China [8][9]. Group 3 - The current situation reflects a classic case of self-inflicted dependency, as the U.S. prioritized enjoying the benefits of global supply chain division without taking responsibility for foundational industries. Addressing this dependency will require substantial financial investment, time, and a shift in development mindset [8][9]. - To effectively overcome this crisis, the U.S. must acknowledge its past policy mistakes and focus on building a robust rare earth industry rather than blaming China for its own shortcomings. Without a fundamental change in short-sighted development thinking, the U.S. may face similar challenges in other critical resources and industries in the future [8][9].