China's dominance in rare earths minerals can cause a shortage for US consumers in everything from cars to TV remotes.

The tentative deal between the United States and China may represent a retreat from the worst-case scenario of a total collapse of trade between the world's two biggest economies, but it creates more problems than it solves.

Beijing is more openly leveraging its control over rare earths, using them both as a stick to pressure geostrategic rivals and as a carrot to incentivize cooperation with partners.