COLLABORATION: The United States, the European Union and Japan are pledging to work closer together on ways to ensure secure supplies of rare earths used in many high-tech products.
THE CONCERNS: China supplies about 90 percent of what is consumed. In the past two years it has imposed limits on its exports.
LONG TERM: The U.S. has stepped up research on batteries, building materials and high-performance computers as part of the effort to find substitutes for some rare earths, while Japan and the EU are launching joint research this summer.
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