The United States did not include rare earth elements, metals used in magnets, radars and consumer electronics, from its final list of tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods, underscoring its reliance on China for the strategic minerals. China is the world’s largest producer of rare earths and the biggest supplier to the United States, according the U.S. Geological Survey. Rare earth elements and minor metals have broad applications in U.S. industry, ranging from jet engines to mobile phones to oil and gas drilling. Most of the minerals the U.S. had originally targeted for tariffs were on a list of 35 minerals ... (full story)