# mining policy

When Price Floors Falter: What the U.S. Retreat on Rare-Earth Support Reveals About the China Problem

A Reuters report that the U.S. has stepped back from a planned price-floor support for domestic rare-earth projects exposed deep institutional limits to rapid decoupling from China. Rare earths’ long lead times, technical hurdles and China’s decades-long industrial advantage mean durable change requires sustained, politically costly investment rather than short-term guarantees.