America’s lust for rare earths rocks Southeast Asia: ‘it’s extremely concerning’
Hastily signed rare earths pacts with Thailand and Malaysia have raised alarm about the environmental and economic fallout
Beneath hills draped in ancient rainforests, where rivers sustain millions and biodiversity flourishes, Southeast Asia hides a treasure coveted by global superpowers: rare earth elements.
These minerals – neodymium, dysprosium and yttrium, to name just a few – form the backbone of modern technology, powering everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to MRI scanners and missile guidance systems.
As much as one-fifth of the world’s untapped rare earth deposits are thought to nestle within the region, promising untold billions to whoever can extract and process them for a market hungry for the resources fuelling artificial intelligence, defence manufacturing and the world’s energy transition.
