In this photo taken on November 21, 2025, construction workers are seen at the site of the new headquarters of the China Rare Earth Group in Ganzhou, in eastern China's Jiangxi province. Buried in the reddish soil of southern China lies latent power: one of the largest clusters of crucial rare earths is mined around the clock by a secretive and heavily guarded industry. The hills of Jiangxi province are home to most of China's rare earth mines, with the materials used in products from smartphones to missile guidance technology. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with 'CHINA-ECONOMY-POLITICS-TRADE-MINING, REPORTAGE' by Peter Catterall

In this photo taken on November 20, 2025, a view of the China Rare Earth Group processing plant is seen in Longnan county, Ganzhou, in eastern China's Jiangxi province. Buried in the reddish soil of southern China lies latent power: one of the largest clusters of crucial rare earths is mined around the clock by a secretive and heavily guarded industry. The hills of Jiangxi province are home to most of China's rare earth mines, with the materials used in products from smartphones to missile guidance technology. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with 'CHINA-ECONOMY-POLITICS-TRADE-MINING, REPORTAGE' by Peter Catterall

In this photo take on November 19, 2025, a view of the under-construction Xinfeng County Baogang Xinli rare earths processing plant is seen in Xinfeng County, Ganzhou, in eastern China's Jiangxi province. Buried in the reddish soil of southern China lies latent power: one of the largest clusters of crucial rare earths is mined around the clock by a secretive and heavily guarded industry. The hills of Jiangxi province are home to most of China's rare earth mines, with the materials used in products from smartphones to missile guidance technology. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with 'CHINA-ECONOMY-POLITICS-TRADE-MINING, REPORTAGE' by Peter Catterall

In this photo taken on November 21, 2025, a view of the under-construction Rare Earth Industrial Park is seen in Anyuan county, Ganzhou, in eastern China's Jiangxi province. Buried in the reddish soil of southern China lies latent power: one of the largest clusters of crucial rare earths is mined around the clock by a secretive and heavily guarded industry. The hills of Jiangxi province are home to most of China's rare earth mines, with the materials used in products from smartphones to missile guidance technology. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with 'CHINA-ECONOMY-POLITICS-TRADE-MINING, REPORTAGE' by Peter Catterall

In this photo taken on November 21, 2025, a view of the under-construction Rare Earth Industrial Park is seen in Anyuan county, Ganzhou, in eastern China's Jiangxi province. Buried in the reddish soil of southern China lies latent power: one of the largest clusters of crucial rare earths is mined around the clock by a secretive and heavily guarded industry. The hills of Jiangxi province are home to most of China's rare earth mines, with the materials used in products from smartphones to missile guidance technology. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with 'CHINA-ECONOMY-POLITICS-TRADE-MINING, REPORTAGE' by Peter Catterall

In this photo take on November 19, 2025, a view of the under-construction Xinfeng County Baogang Xinli rare earths processing plant is seen in Xinfeng County, Ganzhou, in eastern China's Jiangxi province. Buried in the reddish soil of southern China lies latent power: one of the largest clusters of crucial rare earths is mined around the clock by a secretive and heavily guarded industry. The hills of Jiangxi province are home to most of China's rare earth mines, with the materials used in products from smartphones to missile guidance technology. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with 'CHINA-ECONOMY-POLITICS-TRADE-MINING, REPORTAGE' by Peter Catterall

This photo shows piles of computers on a shelf before being repaired by volunteers at the Emmaus Connect centre in Bordeaux, south-western France, on December 16, 2025. The Emmaus Connect association aims to combat digital exclusion among people in socially vulnerable situations. (Photo by ROMAIN PERROCHEAU / AFP via Getty Images)

This photo shows computers on a table before being repaired by volunteers at the Emmaus Connect centre in Bordeaux, south-western France, on December 16, 2025. The Emmaus Connect association aims to combat digital exclusion among people in socially vulnerable situations. (Photo by ROMAIN PERROCHEAU / AFP via Getty Images)