China’s Rare Earth Strategy and the Future of the South China Sea
In August 2026, Japan and the United States worked together to explore extracting rare-earth-rich mud from the seabed near Minamitorishima. The article states that China's rare earth leverage comes less from geology than from its position in refining, separation and magnet production, combined with regulatory instruments such as the April 2025 export control measures on several medium and heavy rare-earth-related items. It adds that studies of Fe-Mn crusts and polymetallic nodules in the South China Sea have identified cobalt, nickel, rare earth elements and yttrium, and that China adopted a national law on deep seabed resource exploration and development in 2016 and holds exploration contracts with the International Seabed Authority.
Why it matters: The article argues that as critical minerals competition acquires a maritime dimension, seabed resources could add a supply-chain and national security layer to existing South China Sea disputes over sovereignty, jurisdiction and access.