Rare earths are a key ingredient in products ranging from smartphones to fighter jets, electric cars and wind turbines — and increasingly for hardware powering the artificial intelligence boom. Global jitters about Beijing’s dominance as a rare earths producer have kicked Australian mining giant Lynas into action, expanding its portfolio of rare earths refined in Malaysia as it hopes to boost its approximately 10 percent share of the market.Workers load tonnes of rare earth minerals into bags ready for shipping at a refinery in eastern Malaysia, fuelling the global pushback against China’s grip on the critical sector. Can Malaysia really produce at a capacity to compete with China?
