Yttrium, the rare metal at the heart of trade tensions between China and the United States

Yttrium, a metal belonging to the rare earth family, occupies a discreet yet strategic position in several cutting-edge industries, according to commentary broadcast by RFI. This material is notably used by the aerospace industry as well as by the semiconductor sector.

According to RFI, this metal could become a stake in economic relations between China and the United States. The commentary raises the possibility that the question of yttrium could be addressed during an upcoming visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington.

Rare earths, of which yttrium is a part, are resources whose extraction and refining are largely dominated by China on a global scale. This position gives Beijing potential leverage in its trade negotiations with other powers, notably the United States, according to information reported by RFI.

The title of RFI's commentary even describes yttrium as an "economic weapon" that China could use against the United States, in a context of economic and technological rivalry between the two countries.

RFI did not specify, in the available details, the exact date of a possible visit by Xi Jinping to Washington or the precise terms of a possible use of this metal as an instrument of diplomatic or commercial pressure.