New Delhi, June 14 -- Rare earth metals, vital to global trade due to their use in everyday products, have been in the news lately. Earlier this year, after the US' Donald Trump administration decided to impose tariffs globally, China curbed exports of rare earth metals.

Beijing's near-complete control over these metals has left countries scrambling to secure alternative supplies. According to Reuters, India has even asked its state-run miner to pause a long-standing export deal with Japan, with an aim to preserve the key metals for domestic use and reduce dependence on China.

But what are these metals, how widespread are they around us, and why are they described as 'rare'? Let's look at the significance of rare earth metals.

Rare ear...