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Reducing the United States’ risks of dependency on China in the rare earth market

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  • Lee, Yurim
  • Dacass, Tennecia

Abstract

Rare earth elements (REE) are crucial in supporting multiple industries with new technologies. Thus the U.S.’ demand for rare earth oxide (REO) is on the rise. Yet, most of the REO supply comes from China, which exposes the U.S. to supply risks similar to that observed by the export quota imposed by China in 2010–2011. This paper uses supply and demand models to evaluate the effects of the U.S. government's proposed strategies to reduce supply risks associated with potential export restrictions from China. We show that there are multiple policies available to mitigate the impact of China's dominance in the market by attenuating the price increases and supply shortfalls, with the size of the changes depending on the price elasticity of demand and supply for REOs. In addition, there are varying degrees of welfare gains from each proposal. Specifically, reducing domestic demand for newly-extracted REEs through substitution (such as recycling or finding alternatives to REEs in production) provides the largest welfare gains. The next best welfare-improving proposal is discovering new domestic supplies of REOs, followed by plans to gain access to foreign REO sources.

Suggested Citation

  • Lee, Yurim & Dacass, Tennecia, 2022. "Reducing the United States’ risks of dependency on China in the rare earth market," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:77:y:2022:i:c:s0301420722001507
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2022.102702
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mancheri, Nabeel A., 2015. "World trade in rare earths, Chinese export restrictions, and implications," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(P2), pages 262-271.
    2. Shuai, Jing & Peng, Xinjie & Zhao, Yujia & Wang, Yilan & Xu, Wei & Cheng, Jinhua & Lu, Yang & Wang, Jingjin, 2022. "A dynamic evaluation on the international competitiveness of China's rare earth products: An industrial chain and tech-innovation perspective," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
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    9. Pavel, Claudiu C. & Lacal-Arántegui, Roberto & Marmier, Alain & Schüler, Doris & Tzimas, Evangelos & Buchert, Matthias & Jenseit, Wolfgang & Blagoeva, Darina, 2017. "Substitution strategies for reducing the use of rare earths in wind turbines," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 349-357.
    10. Marc Schmid, 2019. "Rare Earths in the Trade Dispute Between the US and China: A Déjà Vu," Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics;Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), vol. 54(6), pages 378-384, November.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Thibeault, Al & Ryder, Michael & Tomomewo, Olusegun & Mann, Michael, 2023. "A review of competitive advantage theory applied to the global rare earth industry transition," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Rare earth elements; Export restriction; Supply risk; Trade policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F10 - International Economics - - Trade - - - General
    • F13 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade Policy; International Trade Organizations

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