Marcelo Carvalho

Marcelo de Carvalho is Executive Director and Chief Geologist at Meteoric Resources, where he is associated with the Caldeira rare earths project in Minas Gerais, Brazil. A Brazilian geologist with prior exploration roles at AngloGold, Vale and Yamana Gold, he has worked on advancing mineral projects in the Americas and is a public spokesperson on Meteoric’s rare earth production and processing plans.

Governments Commit $10 Billion to Loosen China’s Rare-Earth Grip

Bloomberg argues that China’s rare-earth power rests less on ownership of mineral deposits than on its dominance of refining and magnet production, the chokepoints that turn ore into components for cars, electronics and weapons. The report says Beijing has already used that position as leverage, including against Japan in 2010 and in renewed trade tensions with the US, where automakers warned that magnet shortages could shut factories. Western governments are now putting billions into alternative supply chains, but the article frames the realistic goal as diversification over many years, not independence from China.

Bloomberg OriginalsMay 15, 20268 min read