The United States’ Strategic Dependence on China’s Dominance in Rare Earth Elements 2020–2023

Aflah Lutfiah Sungkar (Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Jakarta)
Khoirunnisa Khoirunnisa (Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Jakarta)

Indonesian Journal of Contemporary Multidisciplinary Research
Vol. 5 No. 4 (2026): July 2026

The aim of this study is to analyse the factors leading to the United States’ strategic dependence on China’s dominance in the rare-earth elements sector during the period 2020–2023. This study employs a qualitative methodology, comprising a literature review and an analysis of government reports and relevant academic articles. Dependency theory is used as an analytical framework to explain dependency within the global rare-earth elements supply chain. The findings indicate that the United States’ strategic dependency is not primarily due to limited domestic reserves of rare-earth elements, but rather stems from China’s dominance in the processing, refining and production of downstream products based on rare-earth elements