What Are Rare Earth Metals and Why Is China So Dominant?
Rare earth elements (REEs) refer to a group of 17 metals—15 from the lanthanide series plus scandium and yttrium—that are crucial for the manufacturing of EV motors, electronics, medical devices, wind turbines, aircraft engines, and military systems like missiles and radar. Despite their name, REEs are relatively abundant in the Earth’s crust. However, their extraction and processing are difficult and costly.
