 "In Graphics | Why are rare earths magnets such a big deal?")
From Washington to Beijing, everyone is talking about rare earths.
The Pentagon is trying to get its hands on it. So, is India, which wants to create a strategic stockpile.
US President Donald Trump, who is on a swing of Asia, is signing deals with nations to try to secure it. Beijing, which controls more than 80 per cent of the world’s rare-earth refining facilities, has imposed export controls on it – which a furious Trump claimed was akin to ‘taking the world hostage’.
While rare earths themselves comprise over a dozen elements on the periodic table, rare earth magnets are even more valuable. These are among the strongest permanent magnets known to science and are used in smartphones, electric vehicles (EVs), robotics and artificial intelligence (AI).
But what do you know about them really? How strong are they? Why do they matter?
Let’s take a closer look
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