Date: October 17th, 2025 10:31 PM
Author: https://imgur.com/a/o2g8xYK
Many Americans are still dreaming that the West can establish a rare earth supply chain in a short period of time, ok, let me give you a specific example, Gallium.
China produces 146 tons of Gallium annually, which is extracted from 20 million tons of alumina. If you want 146 tons of Gallium, you need to first build a factory to produce 20 million tons of alumina, which requires an investment of 150 billion.
Moreover, alumina usually needs to be made into aluminum before selling. For 20 million alumina, you need to build an electrolytic aluminum factory with a capacity of 7.5 million, which requires around investment of 200 billion.
Electrolytic aluminum factories require a large amount of electricity, with a production capacity of 7.5 million tons requiring approximately 100 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year, which requires an investment of around 100 billion.
These factories require around 50,000 skilled workers, which the United States simply does not have. In addition, the 7.5 million tons aluminuma needs a market to sell, which is already occupied by China. This means these huge investments are due to lose and lose continuously.
Is the United States making such a huge and constantly losing investment for just 146 tons of Gallium? To be honest, it is easier to surrender to China.
https://x.com/BeijingDai/status/1979372476728807863?t=f7EkNSaGIoyZ6nE_KLaiWw&s=19
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5787382&forum_id=2\u0026show=week#49357076)