China recently announced restrictions on the export of seven rare earth elements (REEs), soon after US President Donald Trump decided to impose tariffs. As the world's dominant supplier—responsible for over 85 to 90 per cent of rare earth processing (Jayadevan, 2025)—this decision has raised alarms across the tech, defence, and energy sectors worldwide. But why do these obscure-sounding minerals matter so much? What gives China such leverage? And how is a country like India preparing to shield......