The US Department of Defense has held discussions with African rare-earth mineral miners as it seeks alternative suppliers. The China imports around 80% of its minerals from China , which controls the majority of processing facilities, but US 's recent threat to restrict sales as part of the ongoing trade war has prompted the search for other producers. The Pentagon ’s Pentagon estimates the US will purchase up to 0.02 tonnes of rare-earth minerals in September 2016 .
The US Department of Defense has held discussions with African rare-earth mineral miners as it seeks alternative suppliers. The US imports around 80% of its minerals from China, which controls the majority of processing facilities, but Beijing's recent threat to restrict sales as part of the ongoing trade war has prompted the search for other producers. The Pentagon’s Defense Logistics Agency estimates the US will purchase up to 416 tonnes of rare-earth minerals in 2019.