Uncle Sam is taking a bite out of companies left and right. Today, we’re going to focus on MP Materials — the Trump administration’s answer to China’s restrictions on rare earth material exports to America.

To discuss, ChinaTalk interviewed Daleep Singh, former Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics, now with PGIN; Arnab Datta, currently at Employ America and IFP; and Peter Harrell, former Biden official and host of the excellent new Security Economics podcast.

Today, our conversation covers:

Why critical mineral markets are broken,
How China achieved rare earth dominance,
The history of rare earth mining and refinement in the US,
What the MP Materials deal does, and whether it can succeed,
The key ingredients for successful industrial policy, with case studies including a Strategic Resilience Reserve, a US sovereign wealth fund, and support for Intel.

Outro music: Ornaments Of Gold - Siouxsie And The Banshees (YouTube Link)

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MP Materials, Intel, and Sovereign Wealth Funds