China’s Rare Earth Leverage: How Li Qiang’s Ganzhou Visit Signals Beijing’s Strategic Edge in the US-China Tech Rivalry

In the industrial heartland of Jiangxi province, where red earth yields elements more valuable than their name suggests, Premier Li Qiang toured rare earth facilities during a carefully choreographed visit that sent ripples through global supply chains South China Morning Post. His February 10-11, 2026 inspection of Ganzhou—one of the world’s largest heavy rare earth production hubs—wasn’t just a domestic policy tour. It was a calculated reminder of China’s unchallenged grip on the minerals that power everything from smartphones to stealth fighters, arriving just days after Washington’s most ambitious attempt yet to break free from Beijing’s stranglehold.

The timing speaks volumes. While U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was hosting delegations from 54 countries in Washington for the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial, Li Qiang walked the factory floors where China processes the elements essential to advanced manufacturing and green transformation Global SecuritySouth China Morning Post. The message was unmistakable: no matter how many coalitions the West assembles, the rare earth value chain runs through China—and Beijing knows it.

The Ganzhou Visit: More Than Ceremonial Politics

Li’s itinerary included the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Ganjiang Innovation Academy, production facilities of critical mineral producers, and strategic meetings with business leaders and researchers Global Security. For observers tracking U.S.-China tech tensions, these stops weren’t random. Ganzhou sits atop deposits of heavy rare earth elements—particularly dysprosium and terbium—that are irreplaceable in high-performance magnets for electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, and military guidance systems.

“The value of rare earths in boosting advanced manufacturing and green, low-carbon transformation is increasingly prominent,” Li declared during his visit South China Morning Post, a statement that doubles as economic policy and geopolitical positioning. Unlike light rare earths, which are more abundant globally, heavy rare earths exist in commercially viable concentrations almost exclusively in southern China’s ionic clay deposits. This geological accident has become Beijing’s strategic ace.

What makes this visit particularly significant is its emphasis on innovation rather than extraction. Li called for accelerating breakthroughs in core technologies and building a leading hub for rare earth technological innovation Global Security—signaling China’s intent to dominate not just mining, but the entire value chain from refining to advanced applications. This vertical integration is precisely what makes Western diversification efforts so challenging.

The Numbers Don’t Lie: China’s Unchallenged Dominance

The scale of China’s advantage defies easy solutions. As of 2024, China produced more than two-thirds of total global rare earth mine production, while the United States accounted for just 11.6 percent Statista. But mining figures tell only part of the story.

China’s dominance extends to 91% of global rare earth separation and refining, and a staggering 94% of permanent magnet manufacturing International Energy Agency—the components critical to electric motors, wind turbines, and defense systems. Even when Western countries mine rare earths domestically, they often ship the concentrates to China for processing because no other country has replicated Beijing’s industrial-scale refining capabilities.

Sources: IEA, Statista, USGS International Energy AgencyStatista

This concentration creates what analysts call an “ecosystem lock.” China has built an entire industrial ecosystem from mining to magnet production, with the country itself being the world’s largest consumer of rare earths Wikipedia. Its massive electric vehicle buildout and renewable energy expansion create economies of scale that new Western entrants cannot match commercially.

Washington’s $12 Billion Gambit: Project Vault and the 54-Nation Coalition

The U.S. response came with unprecedented fanfare. On February 4, 2026, Secretary Rubio, joined by Vice President JD Vance and key cabinet members, hosted representatives from 54 countries and the European Commission at the Critical Minerals Ministerial U.S. Department of State. The centerpiece: Project Vault, a $12 billion strategic reserve initiative combining $10 billion from the Export-Import Bank with $2 billion in private capital.

The administration announced eleven new bilateral critical minerals frameworks with countries including Argentina, Guinea, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, and the UAE U.S. Department of State—part of a broader push to sign agreements with dozens more nations. The new “FORGE” partnership (successor to the Minerals Security Partnership) aims to coordinate pricing, spur development, and expand financing access across participating countries.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth that rarely makes headlines: even with $30 billion in recent U.S. government support for critical mineral supply chains, China controls 60 percent of rare earth deposits and processes 90 percent of the world’s supply Al Jazeera. Building competitive processing capacity requires not just capital, but technology transfer, environmental tolerance, and multi-year development timelines that democratic governments struggle to sustain across election cycles.

The Export Control Chess Match

Beijing hasn’t been passive. In April 2025, China introduced export controls on seven heavy rare earth elements, causing supply disruptions that forced some Western automakers to cut production or temporarily shut facilities International Energy Agency. When trade volumes eventually recovered, rare earth prices in importing countries remained elevated—with European prices reaching up to six times Chinese domestic levels International Energy Agency.

Then came the October 2025 escalation: new controls requiring foreign companies to obtain licenses for any products containing Chinese-sourced rare earth materials or made using Chinese technologies, even if traded domestically outside China International Energy Agency. This extraterritorial reach grants Beijing unprecedented visibility into—and potential control over—global manufacturing supply chains.

A temporary trade truce reached at the October 2025 APEC summit provided breathing room, with China agreeing to hold restrictions on five additional metals for one year while negotiations continue. But the licensing system remains in place, and approvals for Western companies are taking longer amid increased scrutiny.

Why Diversification Is Harder Than It Looks

Politicians love to announce mining investments, but China perfected the solvent extraction process for refining rare earths at industrial scale—technical expertise difficult for competitors to replicate, reinforced by extensive patenting and export restrictions on processing technologies Wikipedia. Australia’s Lynas Corporation, the only significant Western rare earth processor, took over a decade to achieve profitable operations and still processes less than 5% of global supply.

Environmental politics complicate Western efforts further. Rare earth mining and processing generate toxic waste that requires careful management. China’s willingness to absorb environmental costs—often in regions with less political voice—gives it cost advantages of 30-50% over Western competitors. Democratic countries face local opposition to new mining and processing facilities, creating regulatory delays that don’t exist in China’s state-directed system.

Even MP Materials, the U.S. company operating the Mountain Pass mine in California (America’s only rare earth mine), ships its concentrates to China for processing—though it’s building domestic processing capability with government support. The first integrated U.S. magnet manufacturing facility, also operated by MP Materials in Texas, only began commercial production in late 2025.

The Geopolitical Paradox: Leverage and Risk

Here’s where strategic analysis gets interesting. Some experts argue China faces its own paradox: overly aggressive export restrictions accelerate Western diversification efforts, potentially reducing China’s long-term dominance and market share RFF. Temporary controls maintain pressure without triggering the massive investment required to build alternative supply chains from scratch.

Yet this game theory assumes Western countries can sustain the political will and capital investment needed over 10-15 years—an assumption Beijing seems willing to test. By avoiding direct reference to the United States, Beijing preserves diplomatic flexibility while reminding global markets of its structural advantage Modern Diplomacy, a calibrated approach that maximizes leverage while minimizing international backlash.

Beyond Rare Earths: The Broader Tech War Context

Li Qiang’s Ganzhou visit must be understood within China’s broader industrial strategy. His remarks about artificial intelligence transforming industries weren’t tangential—they connected rare earths to the larger contest over frontier technologies where both superpowers claim strategic interest.

Li emphasized that AI technologies are transforming how people live and work, with vast potential to boost consumption, upgrade industries, and create growth opportunities Global Security. The subtext: advanced AI requires advanced semiconductors, which require advanced manufacturing equipment, which requires rare earth elements. Control the beginning of the supply chain, influence the end.

The five-year plan China will unveil shortly is expected to formalize this integration, consolidating advantages in traditional industries like rare earths while accelerating innovation in AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology. It’s industrial policy on a civilizational timescale.

What This Means for Global Markets

For corporate supply chain managers, the message is stark: diversification is no longer optional, but it won’t be quick or cheap. Companies are stockpiling where possible, researching alternative materials (like copper-based motors that don’t require rare earth magnets), and accepting higher costs as the price of reduced China dependency.

For policymakers, the 54-nation coalition represents necessary but insufficient action. The U.S. has mobilized unprecedented resources with over $30 billion in support for critical mineral projects in the past six months U.S. Department of State, but building resilient supply chains requires sustained commitment across administrations—something American politics rarely delivers.

For investors, the rare earth sector presents opportunities but demands patience. Junior mining companies frequently promise breakthroughs but struggle with financing, permitting, and technical execution. The real winners may be companies that solve processing challenges or develop recycling technologies that recover rare earths from electronic waste.

The Long Game: 2026 and Beyond

Critical minerals have become a frontline issue in great-power rivalry, with rare earths emerging as a decisive arena in the broader U.S.-China competition Modern Diplomacy. Li Qiang’s Ganzhou visit—timed precisely between the U.S. ministerial and China’s Lunar New Year—demonstrates Beijing’s confidence in its structural advantage.

The uncomfortable reality for Western policymakers is that China’s rare earth dominance isn’t primarily about geology—it’s about patient industrial policy executed over decades. Beijing invested in capacity when prices were low, accepted environmental costs Western democracies wouldn’t tolerate, and built an integrated value chain that creates formidable barriers to entry.

Can the West diversify? Yes, with enough time and money. Will it happen before the next geopolitical crisis? That’s the $12 billion—or perhaps $120 billion—question. China’s rare earth leverage isn’t going away in 2026, or likely 2036. The question isn’t whether Beijing has strategic advantage—it’s how long Western nations can sustain the political will to reduce it.

For now, the rare earth supply chain runs through Ganzhou, and Li Qiang’s tour made sure the world remembers it.