“...has some of the world’s biggest deposits of rare earth elements, strategically important metals in which China has a near monopoly...”
China’s “near monopoly” is at least partially our own fault.
The United States has also has deposits of these minerals but the federal government has made the regulatory process too stringent and costly for them to be developed.
When attritional global war and existential threat become openly impactful to the people through the loss of territory and several ignominious surrenders of US theater forces, we will begin to dig.