Spot on @Welsho54 From what I know, (and I think I am preaching...

Spot on @Welsho54

From what I know, (and I think I am preaching to the choir) China has been on the march for rare earths since 2010 or before, and have succeeded via the nature of Eastern production allowances, seen as a necessity to dominate future control of critical minerals for the dynasty.

With particular attention been made to battery grade lithium from spodumene concentrators, essentially makes them the biggest supplier of energy storage, with mega factories producing every link of the value chain after conversion along.
Very smart play you must admit, if the objective is to be the leader of the sector. Well played.

The thing is the game is not new, the west played with China over the decades, and the west won more rounds of the game in total but China having been the "aware student" has now become the master, playing better than the west, which is paying considerable dividends yet at the cost of the environment. As production of minerals from the rare earths space comes with high carbon expenditure via old methods of extraction.

But the west has finally cottoned on to the game and are now scrambling to take back market share, which will take a few years to claw back a semblance of what control was lost.
Facts are, the west may never regain the top spot and that is a very sobering thought, yet 2 hurdles await for the Chinese Lithium Hydroxide market:

1.) The Green Recovery's ESG's and
2.) LPD's LOHMax circuit.

With LOHMax hitting the scenes will help slow China's spodumene—lithium hydroxide conversion by allowing Australian Spodumene producers the ability in capturing more value of the chain. In doing so will deliver the west more production capacity, coupled with guidelines surrounding the sustainable production of battery minerals with ESG credentials, a requirement for the European market will hamper China's progress into the western OME supply chain over the next decade. Which is great for LPD.

The US seeing China being the dominant player of rare earths is now scrambling to lock in 35 critical minerals and LPD produces 4 of them. Lithium, SOP, Caesium and Rubidium.
The US needs Caesium and Rubidium OT agreements outside the control of China and the only way they can do that is entering into OT agreements with LPD, if the US wants to have control over near term supply LPD's P1 can produce it.

LPD is in a position of Power and can control the narrative over the coming months, as the Caesium and Rubidium is "like salt on the salad," to paraphrase Elon, which can only add to LPD's strength at the negotiation table. LPD is a chemical producer with a focus on lithium chemicals and valuable by-products, the lithium production is the bread and butter and valuable by-products are the jam IMO.

I predict, US smart money will start to secure Lepidolite and Zinnwaldite deposits throughout the world in tying up future supply of Caesium which LPD will have a piece of either at the front end, by having said deposits as feed sources to P2's or licensing fees with royalty streams coming in from production until the last ounce has been proceeded.
The benefactor to the supply will be the US via DFC funding for the P1, which will give them another chance to continue the relationship into a P2 IMO.

LT-B1