Trump trade deal shows how vital China's rare-earth metals are to US defense firms

The draft trade agreement with China announced by Donald Trump on Wednesday would ease concerns from top US military suppliers about rare-earth metals and magnets that, if cut off permanently, could hobble production of everything from smart bombs to fighter jets to submarines and other weapons in the US arsenal. While the deal has not yet been finalised, it may reassure major defense companies such as Lockheed Martin, the largest US user of samarium - a rare-earth metal used in military-grade magnets - whose supply is entirely controlled by China. The issue of China's export restrictions on the metals and…