The US has claimed China’s dominance over rare earths is coming to an end, with Treasury secretary Scott Bessent telling the Financial Times in October that Beijing’s leverage over the metals would last no more than 24 months.
美国宣称中国对稀土的主导地位很快将结束，美国财政部长斯科特•贝森特(Scott Bessent)在10月对英国《金融时报》表示，北京方面对稀土的掌控不会再持续超过24个月。
China last month tightened sweeping export restrictions on rare earths and magnets, used in everything from electric cars to refrigerators, although the country’s leader Xi Jinping agreed a temporary reprieve with US President Donald Trump under which the controls will not apply for another year.
中国上个月全面收紧了对稀土和磁体的出口限制（这些材料广泛用于从电动汽车到冰箱等各种产品），不过中国国家主席习近平与美国总统唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)达成了一项临时贸易休战协议，根据该协议，这些管制措施将暂缓实施一年。
The rise in trade tensions has focused US policymakers’ minds on the country’s reliance on China for the minerals, with a race under way to develop new sources and processing facilities.
贸易紧张局势的升级，使美国政策制定者的注意力集中在美国对中国稀土资源的依赖上，并加紧开发新的稀土资源和加工设施。