In June, China sent zero gallium to Japan.
Zero dysprosium. Zero terbium. Zero yttrium.
Japan runs the largest rare earth magnet industry outside China. It still could not get the raw materials it needed to keep that industry running.
This was not a shortage. China's overall mineral shipments stayed healthy through the same month. This was a demonstration.
Beijing showed the world exactly how much control it holds over the materials that build modern industry, and exactly how selectively it can turn that control on and off.
The Real Prize Isn't the Rock