quote:
"A generation after the former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping made mastering neodymium and 16 other elements known as rare earths a priority, China dominates the market, with far-reaching effects ranging from global trade friction to US job losses and threats to national security."
all summed up by the masterly understatement:
"It's amazing how this issue seems to have caught the country off-guard"
no shit.