THE United States and China are heading for a stand-off over critical minerals used in everything from washing machines to military hardware.

The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday promised “unprecedented action” to ensure that the United States won’t be cut off from supplies of rare earths, a group of 17 obscure but vital elements whose production is dominated by China.

The department’s release of a report outlining steps to ensure supply came hours after China’s top economic planning body said it’s studying proposals to establish export controls on the materials.

China’s media have highlighted the value of rare earths as a potential trade weapon, given that the country controls more than 70 percent of global supply and an even higher proportion of processed product. Any attempt to curb exports would add to a rift between the world’s biggest economies that already encompasses sweeping tariffs, the blacklisting of China’s top telecommunications group and warnings from China to its citizens traveling to the United States.

“These critical minerals are often overlooked but modern life without them would be impossible,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement alongside the release of the report that was requested by U.S. President Donald Trump in December 2017.

The assured supply of critical minerals and the resiliency of their supply chains are essential to the economic prosperity and national defense of the United States, according to the report. “If China or Russia were to stop exports to the United States and its allies for a prolonged period, an extended supply disruption could cause significant shocks throughout U.S. and foreign critical mineral supply chains,” it said.

China’s National Development and Reform Commission is closely studying proposals from industry experts to establish rare earth export controls, it said in a statement Tuesday. The economic planner will implement the measures promptly, it said. Authorities were also asked to crack down on illegal mining, production and smuggling of rare earths.

The U.S. report recommends a number of steps, including improving the government’s understanding of domestic sources of rare earths and expediting approvals of mining permits.

Export curbs could cover heavy rare earths, a sub-group with a wide variety of uses that include magnets in miniature motors in almost all automobiles and consumer goods. (SD-Agencies)