China retains 97% grip on heavy rare earths ahead of Pentagon ban
Western magnet milestones leave midstream separation unaddressed before the United States bars Chinese dysprosium and terbium on Jan. 1, 2027.
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence reported Nov. 13, 2026 that recent Western rare earth production milestones will fail to break China's grip on heavy rare earth separation ahead of tighter US defense rules.
Three developers across Europe and the United States achieved pilot output in sintered magnets and chemical oxides in recent weeks. Those announcements add finished magnet capacity but leave midstream chemical refining largely unaddressed, Benchmark said.
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