Episode
When Biotech Purifies Rare Earths—Outdeveloping China in Its Key Industry
- Podcast
- China Watch
- Published
- Jun 29, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2616
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://www.theepochtimes.com/podcasts
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Summary
When China cut off rare earth exports to the United States, most rare earth companies scrambled to copy China's technology. Curtis Wu, founder and CEO of Maglut Heavy Industries, had a different idea: steal a page from biotech instead. Drawing on his years in the biotech industry, Curtis saw that chromatography—the same precision purification technique used to manufacture cancer drugs—could replace the dirty, repetitive solvent-extraction method that China has had a monopoly on for decades. In this episode, Curtis walks Terri through the science, the supply chain vulnerability that Ford's production shutdown made undeniable, and why he believes the United States doesn't need to out-China China—it needs to out-innovate it. Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. — Terri Wu is a Washington-based freelance reporter for The Epoch Times covering education and China-related issues. Send tips to [email protected] . Show your support for Epoch Times and independent journalism by leaving a 5-star review of this show on your podcast platform or visit www.RateThisPodcast.com/chinawatch