11-06-2025, 01:27 PM
Four years ago, a shortage of computer chips caused halts in auto production, which fueled record car prices. The limited supply drove most people to pay above sticker price for new cars.
“People think that it’s only EVs (electric vehicles), but it’s not,” the expert told CNN. “It’s in everything in every car. It’s in the motors that run windshield wipers. One supplier I’m talking to said there are sensors in seat belts. I think there’s going to be production disruptions all over the place. China really has our balls in a vise.”
“It is in the interest of the Chinese to remain a stable and trusted source for rare earths magnets and other rare earths products,” Eggert said. “Unfortunately, what has happened is that rare earths have gotten caught up in much larger tensions associated with US-China trade negotiations.”
China has a virtual monopoly on those 17 metallic elements, which are critical components to everyday products from cars to jet engines to electronics like smartphones and flat-screen TVs. They’re even crucial for the contrast dye used in MRI machines and some cancer drugs.
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/10/busin...age-impact
“People think that it’s only EVs (electric vehicles), but it’s not,” the expert told CNN. “It’s in everything in every car. It’s in the motors that run windshield wipers. One supplier I’m talking to said there are sensors in seat belts. I think there’s going to be production disruptions all over the place. China really has our balls in a vise.”
“It is in the interest of the Chinese to remain a stable and trusted source for rare earths magnets and other rare earths products,” Eggert said. “Unfortunately, what has happened is that rare earths have gotten caught up in much larger tensions associated with US-China trade negotiations.”
China has a virtual monopoly on those 17 metallic elements, which are critical components to everyday products from cars to jet engines to electronics like smartphones and flat-screen TVs. They’re even crucial for the contrast dye used in MRI machines and some cancer drugs.
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/10/busin...age-impact
