Commentary: Chips won the Cold War. Rare earths may win the next

Such devices, his visit seemed to imply, could be a geopolitical weapon for China quite as potent as advanced semiconductors are for the US. In the first major US-China trade dispute of Trump’s second term, Beijing was able to use its control of rare earths to force Washington to a deal last week. After the US imposed its first round of tariffs in April, China started limiting export permits, causing US manufacturers to warn of imminent shutdowns.