Rare Earth Elements: New Battleground in the US-China Trade War

Abstract

Rare earth elements, the building blocks of modern economies and their strategic importance in global technological infrastructures, have become the new battleground in trade wars. These elements, vital components in the production of everything from green energy technologies to electric vehicles, advanced defense systems to semiconductor technologies, have made supply chains geopolitically strategic. While China has global dominance in the production and processing of rare earth elements, the import dependence of developed economies has made the supply and demand geography extremely asymmetric. In an era of intensifying global leadership competition, the weaponization of these strategically important raw materials in foreign policy has led to an increase in trade measures such as export controls and import restrictions. This study, prepared through the analysis of secondary data, analyzes the dependence on the import of rare earth elements and critical minerals, and trade policies such as export restrictions. Diversification, recycling technologies, and international cooperation have been highlighted as necessary to prevent vulnerabilities in the global trade of rare earth elements.

Keywords

• Rare Earth Element
• Import
• Export
• Trade War

Nadir Toprak Elementleri: ABD-Çin Ticaret Savaşında Yeni Cephe

Öz

Modern ekonomilerin yapı taşı olan ve küresel teknolojik altyapılardaki stratejik önemleri nedeniyle nadir toprak elementleri, günümüzde ticaret savaşlarının yeni cephesi haline gelmiştir. Yeşil enerji teknolojilerinden elektrikli araçlara, gelişmiş savunma sistemlerinden yarı iletken teknolojilerinin üretiminde hayati bileşen olan bu elementler, tedarik zincirlerini jeopolitik açıdan stratejik bir hale getirmiştir. Çin nadir toprak elementlerinin üretiminde ve işlenmesinde küresel hâkimiyete sahipken, gelişmiş ekonomilerin ithalata bağımlı olması arz ve talep coğrafyasını son derece asimetrik hale getirmiştir. Küresel liderlik yarışının şiddetlendiği çağımızda söz konusu stratejik öneme sahip hammaddeler dış politikada da silah olarak kullanılarak ihracat kontrolleri ve ithalat kısıtlamaları gibi ticari önlemlerin artmasına yol açmıştır. İkincil verilerin analizi ile hazırlanan bu çalışmada, nadir toprak elementlerinin ve kritik minerallerin ithalatına olan bağımlılık ve ihracat kısıtlamaları gibi ticaret politikaları analiz edilmiştir. Küresel nadir toprak elementlerinin ticaretindeki kırılganlıkların önlenebilmesi için çeşitlendirme, geri dönüşüm teknolojilerinin ve uluslararası iş birliği gerekliliği ortaya çıkarılmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Nadir Toprak Elementleri
• İthalat
• İhracat
• Ticaret Savaşı

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