Why the World’s Hedging Responses to China’s Rare Earth Dominance Have Failed

The article examines the global tension between 'friendshoring' (securing supply chains with aligned partners) and true strategic autonomy in critical minerals—directly relevant to Australia's Resource Sovereignty and Decoupling pillars. Australia is both a rare-earth supplier and a major importer of processed critical minerals; the failure of diversification strategies signals that decoupling from Chinese supply chains remains incomplete and may constrain Australia's industrial base and defence-industrial resilience.