Regarding Daleep Singh’s Markets Insight “The US can break China’s control of critical minerals” (July 1), if the US is serious about securing an independent and resilient critical mineral supply chain, solving the most complex and vital part of that supply chain, the midstream, is imperative.

The midstream segment includes not only the refining of critical minerals into high-purity chemical compounds, but also in many cases extends to “metallisation” (thermal spray coating) and magnet production. While the global conversation often focuses on mining and raw material access, the true bottleneck lies in economically viable process engineering to refine those materials into manufacturing-grade chemical forms.

This is where China has built its dominance. By controlling the midstream through a combination of vertically integrated, state-backed operations, exploitative trade practices and lax environmental and labour standards, China has created a near-monopoly over the global supply of refined critical minerals and the downstream products they feed — like magnets, alloys, semiconductor and battery components.

In the defence realm, an F-35 contains about 920 pounds of highly refined rare earth elements; there’s more than 9,000 pounds in a Virginia Class nuclear submarine. Antimony trisulfide, refined to meet military specifications, is used in a wide range of munitions. Additionally, everyday items in our technology-based economy depend on refined critical minerals — from magnets to microchips to batteries in our automobiles and smartphones.

The US cannot compete by imitation. Our path must be built on innovation. But without domestic refining capacity — the heart of the midstream — the US will remain dependent on foreign-controlled supply chains.

In today’s world, where demand for critical minerals is accelerating due to advances in both commercial technology and defence applications, such dependency is not only an economic liability — it is a national security risk. The US cannot afford not to have an independent critical mineral supply chain.