Right, so are Donald Trump’s stupendously stupid and incredibly self defeating tariffs, notably on China as relations continue to sour, potentially heralding the end of Israel’s genocide of Gaza? It’s a big claim and it does predicate on Trump not backing down here, but China’s reaction to these tariffs spells out that they could literally do this and the reason behind it centres around US military aid to Israel, whilst being massively dependent on Chinese imports for their own defence forces and arms market.
We are talking, F-35 jets, submarines, precision-guided ballistic missiles, electric and battery powered drones, the more high tech the armaments, the more reliant on China the product becomes, because what all of these devices have in common is that none of them work without the right components, the components in question centre around certain rare earth minerals and China have a monopoly on them. Well thanks to Donald Trump’s tariffs on China, China have just cut off exports of 7 rare earth minerals, The US being reliant on some 17 of these rare earth minerals in their defence programs and 30 across all US departments. They cannot get these anywhere else, so whilst Trump is saying the ball is very much in China’s court, it really isn’t and if you can’t build the defence systems to protect yourself, you can’t keep selling them to Israel either and actually this demonstrates the kind of leverage China could utilise, if it chose to, to end the genocide of Gaza given the US refuses to.
Right, so if there is one thing the United States is known for the massive manufacture and export of it is armaments and weaponry, the US military-industrial complex is a behemoth, sustained by an extremely complex global supply chain, but we only need look at one part of that here. Among its most critical dependencies is China’s monopoly on rare earth minerals—essential components in advanced weaponry, including the F-35 stealth fighter jet, which has been a cornerstone of Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza. Now, thanks to the mismanagement and cluelessness of the tariff obsessed orange oaf presiding over the United States, Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies toward China this has triggered a retaliatory response: Beijing’s restrictions on the export of seven rare earth minerals, a shot across the bows, threatening to disrupt the amongst other things, the F-35’s production a global effort as that is between several nations and, by extension therefore, Israel’s ability to continue its genocidal campaign.
Trump’s trade war with China, which in his fevered mind, is intended to bolster American economic dominance, has instead exposed a fatal vulnerability in US military supply chains—one that could ironically undermine Israel’s capacity to continue its genocide in Gaza should this persist for any length of time.
Lets start with the F-35 program though, this is one familiar to both people in the US and the UK, since both nations manufacture parts for these jets, which are sold to, amongst other nations, Israel, who have used them relentlessly in their genocide of Gaza. Each of these jets carries around amongst it’s constituent parts some 900 pounds of Chinese rare earth minerals and this is now at risk. For us here in the UK, who have demanded the suspension of F-35 part licences to Israel and which has been refused on the grounds it is part of a global co-operative to build these things, may have that choice taken out of their hands now by China due to Trump’s tariffs. China’s export restrictions, a direct consequence of those tariffs, there is only one person to blame, may cripple not only US defence manufacturing but also the flow of advanced weaponry to Israel as a consequence of the military aid the US insists on sending there, knowing full well where Israel are using it. If this disruption slows or halts the delivery of F-35s, precision-guided munitions, who’s tail fins apparently rely on rare earth mineral components for in flight in-flight readjustments, and other critical systems, US subs carry around some 10 times the rare earth minerals of an F-35 jet as another for instance, it could force a pause—or even an end—to Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, so many of these military products sent there as they are.
So actually there is a sense of poetic justice to Trump’s incompetence in that the US has armed Israel unconditionally, supplying the very weapons used to massacre Palestinians. Now, the same shortsighted policies that sought to punish China may instead punish Israel—and by extension, the US war machine itself.
China controls 69% of all global rare earth mineral mining and between 85-90% of all processing. Although they’re called rare earth minerals, they aren’t actually all that rare, they’re just very expensive and this is due to the complexities of processing and refining them, hence why China has built this monopoly up, state investment in such things that a more capitalist government never would has led to the position where we are, although some other nations are attempting mining and processing, they are on far smaller scales and well behind where China is.
The restrictions apply at this point in time to 7 rare earth minerals, samarium, which is typically alloyed with cobalt to produce specialist magnets which operate at high temperatures without demagnetising, used in radar systems, electric motors and flight controls and for use in lasers. Gadolinium, which is used in superconductors, optical displays, magnets, as well as medical uses, such as in MRI contrast dyes. Terbium, which is used in sonar systems, dysprosium used in magnets, lutetium, which is used in displays as well as for treating cancer, scandium which is used in aircraft construction in an alloy with aluminium, making aircraft stronger and lighter and finally yttrium, which is used in heat resistant coatings for engine components. Significant military sues, as well as domestic ones as I’m sure you can appreciate.
Without these materials, production, certainly of F-35’s when you look particularly at yttrium, scandium and dysprosium, grinds to a halt. Yet, the US has no viable alternative source for these minerals, China is literally it. You can look at this against the backdrop of Trump trying to blackmail Zelensky over more US aid to Ukraine in exchange for rare earth minerals, or even Greenland, which also has them, prompting Trump’s interest there, but there is still the matter of processing them, which is the far bigger issue and one only China has the answers to.
Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods were meant to reduce US reliance on other countries, doing more at home, but not everything can be made or sourced in the US, exposing the stupidity of what he has done and with China specifically they have backfired spectacularly.
These restrictions that China have imposed are not just targeted at the Us; they affect all nations, meaning even components manufactured in the UK, Italy, or Japan—key partners in that F-35’s global supply chain—are now at risk as well.
Now, it has been well established by this point that Israel’s genocide in Gaza has been enabled by uninterrupted US arms shipments, including F-35s used in airstrikes that have killed over 51,000 Palestinians going by the most recent official figures, which as we know are likely a gross underestimate of the real numbers. However, China’s export controls threaten this pipeline completely now, with the US only having limited stockpiles of these rare earth minerals.
Depending on how long this goes on for, Israel could see disrupted F-35 Deliveries, Lockheed Martin has already warned of potential delays due to rare earth shortages and many components on these jets have to replaced often. If Israel cannot receive new F-35s or spare parts, its ability to conduct precision airstrikes diminishes.
On top of that issue with the F-35s, there are the missile guidance systems of advanced ballistic missiles. Rare earth magnets are crucial for these to operate. Without them, Israel’s stockpile of precision munitions—already depleted from months of bombing—could become less reliable or unusable, and equally these missiles themselves, use rare earths in their tail fins as aforementioned.
Now you might be thinking Damo, this is highly speculative, surely it won’t come to that, but the warnings have already been sounded now and have been for years as the US has been warned by their own defence department, that reliance on Chinese rare earths is a significant vulnerability that they haven’t got an answer for.
For example the British think tank Chatham House has warned that China’s move threatens Washington’s military primacy, in an article they’ve put out, they’ve stated that:
‘By restricting access to these critical minerals, China has the potential to do serious damage to the US defence industry and undermine the Trump administration’s wider reindustrialization ambitions. Ultimately, this could give Beijing a crucial strategic advantage in long-term US–China competition for military and technological supremacy and add to its existing manufacturing lead…
This gives China a stranglehold over inputs into supply chains that are crucial to American primacy, from semiconductors to aircraft. For example, dysprosium is needed to heat-proof electric motors used in the US Air Force’s ‘fifth generation’ F-35 fighter jets, as well as for applications in robotics, drones, electric vehicles, and touch screens. Another important example is yttrium, which is essential for jet engines, precision lasers, and high-frequency radar. Both are among the seven rare earths restricted by Beijing.’
If Beijing escalates further—imposing total bans, price hikes, or tariffs on rare earths—the consequences could be catastrophic for the US and by extension Israel.
The Pentagon has known for decades that reliance on Chinese rare earths was a risk, so all Trump has done is accelerate China’s leverage in response to Trump’s tariffs. By restricting exports, Beijing has demonstrated it can cripple US defence projects at will, which is a nightmare scenario for American strategists and a state that prides itself on supposed military dominance, yet is all bui9lt on the reliance of another country, which hTrump has started an economic war with.
And iff F-35s and precision munitions become scarce, Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza could stall or end, which would be a delicious irony, given US refusal to stop arming the genocidal blue and white state.
The same administration that unconditionally supports Israel now faces a scenario where its own policies may cut off the weapons fuelling the Gaza genocide. In that respect alone, please do keep antagonising China Donnie.
Well of course it has been carrying on hasn’t it? China has already cancelled Boeing contracts in retaliation for the tariffs. Rare earth elements are vital for EV batteries, wind turbines, and semiconductors as well, meaning the economic pain to the US will spread to other sectors and Trump has exposed to the world as we become more technologically reliant, that China’s monopoly means it can weaponise trade, just as the US has long weaponised the dollar and that’s a whole other matter as a new global currency is being developed amongst BRICS nations, of which China is of course one.
Trump’s tariffs may have inadvertently created an opportunity. If China’s rare earth restrictions disrupt F-35 production, along with other militaria reliant on rare earths for long enough, Israel could find itself unable to sustain its assault on Gaza.
But this is not just about Israel or Gaza—it’s about the recklessness of US militarism and its dependence on China, something so many people have been unaware of and yet has now been thrust into the limelight. The world must recognise that modern warfare relies on global supply chains, and those chains can be broken and China have a very dominant hand in that.
China’s export restrictions are a warning: the era of unchallenged US military dominance is over, if it was ever really a thing. If that means Israel can no longer bomb Gaza with impunity going forwards, then perhaps some good will come from this and we ought to hope it goes on a bit longer just to make sure of it.
Another area the US might find itself in a bind would be its ongoing talks slash threats against Iran. Already facing munitions shortages, this rare earth interruption will only make matters worse for them, but then what Iran is doing with its nuclear research, contrary to accusations of nuclear weapons has actually just announced a massive medical breakthrough in the fight against cancer through its nuclear program, such is what we could lose, if Israel and the US get their way amid their determination to end Iranian nuclear research. Get all the details of that story in this video recommendation here as your suggested next watch. Please do also hit like, share and subscribe if you haven’t done so already, so as to ensure you don’t miss out on all new content published daily, as well as helping to support the channel at the same time, which is very much appreciated, holding power to account for ordinary working class people and I will hopefully catch you on the next vid. Cheers folks.