2 h. ago Rare earth dominance: why China still holds the cards despite global pushback

Beijing’s recent export controls on rare earths have spurred a flurry of international efforts to diversify supply chains and reduce China’s long-standing dominance in critical minerals. In June, the Ministry of Commerce announced that it would approve qualified export applications and was open to discussions with other countries regarding the restrictions. But as rare earths emerge as a new front in the US-China rivalry, companies worldwide have announced plans for a string of projects designed...

Politics

47 h. ago Critical minerals: China snaps up mines around the world in rush to secure resources

Critical minerals: China snaps up mines around the world in rush to secure resources  AFR

Politics

4 d. ago Climate action with China aligns with Australia’s security needs

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s coming visit to China later this summer presents a timely chance to reframe Australia–China relations through an increasingly vital lens: climate cooperation. With bilateral ties having largely stabilised since 2022 and a joint Australia–Pacific bid for the 2026 UN climate summit under way, climate action offers a promising platform for stronger engagement. The rationale for cooperation is clear. Australia possesses vast reserves of critical minerals...

Events

4 d. ago Australia should leave politics out of climate collaboration with China

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s coming visit to China later this summer presents a timely chance to reframe Australia–China relations through an increasingly vital lens: climate cooperation. With bilateral ties having largely stabilised since 2022 and a joint Australia–Pacific bid for the 2026 UN climate summit under way, climate action offers a promising platform for stronger engagement. The rationale for cooperation is clear. Australia possesses vast reserves of critical minerals...

Politics

4 d. ago Indonesia banks on critical minerals to avert US tariffs – will it work?

Indonesia is banking on its rich reserves of critical minerals to persuade the United States to pull back steep looming tariffs – an offer that could appeal to American strategic interests even as concerns remain about regulatory risks and China’s entrenched role in the country’s mineral supply chains. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto has described Indonesia’s critical minerals proposal as its “second-best offer” to avert a looming 32 per cent tariff under President...

Economics

6 d. ago Is this the copper century? China moves to shore up supplies from Africa

Lithium and cobalt may have dominated the rush for critical minerals for EV batteries, solar and defence systems, but now copper is emerging as a key element in the green energy transition. Recognising this, China is strategically positioning itself to secure copper supplies, especially from Africa, investing heavily in mining and processing facilities. While the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia have long been China’s top destinations, Botswana is now also becoming a significant...

Politics

6 d. ago Quad countries agree to diversify critical mineral supplies amid China concerns

Quad countries agree to diversify critical mineral supplies amid China concerns  The Guardian

Politics

8 d. ago The US can beat China on critical minerals but not by copying it

The US can beat China on critical minerals but not by copying it  Financial Times

Politics

2 w. ago Have Trump’s Iran strikes given China a strategic advantage?

The US’ direct engagement in the Israel-Iran conflict over the weekend could intensify its drive to secure critical resources – particularly rare earth minerals – a development that could strengthen China’s position in its ongoing geopolitical and economic rivalry with Washington, analysts said. A potential escalatory spiral in the Middle East could push forward trade negotiations between the world’s two largest economies, said Xu Weijun, an assistant research fellow at South China University of...

Politics

2 w. ago China’s magnet exports to US slammed in May as rare earth curbs hit: data

The volume of China’s export shipments of magnets to the US, a chokepoint in the ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies, plunged in volume by 93.3 per cent in May, year on year, according to the latest customs data. China exported around 46.4 tonnes of magnets to the US last month. It was also a sharp month-on-month decline of 81 per cent from 246.3 tonnes shipped in April. The total export of magnets, which dominate China’s critical minerals shipments, fell by nearly 74.3...

Events

2 w. ago Europe must reduce critical mineral dependence on China, just like US: Boeing

European countries must follow the US in pursuing critical minerals autonomy for the defence industry and move away from dependence on Chinese-dominated supply chains, a senior Boeing official said at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday. Turbo Sjogren, senior vice-president for government services at Boeing Global Services, said the supply chain was at the core of European concerns about how to face the demands of sovereignty and take on the challenges “in a manner different tomorrow than they’ve done...

Politics

2 w. ago Canada could play leading role as G7 strikes alliance to stockpile critical minerals

Canada could play leading role as G7 strikes alliance to stockpile critical minerals  Financial Post

Events

2 w. ago G7 summit wraps with statements on AI, critical minerals, but not Ukraine

The Group of 7 nations wrapped up their summit in Canada on Tuesday with six joint statements on subjects spanning AI, quantum computing and critical minerals but reportedly dropped plans to issue a seventh “strongly worded” statement on the Ukraine war after objections from the United States. “Basically, no statement because the Americans wanted to water it down,” an unnamed Canadian official told reporters on condition of anonymity, according to AFP. News services on Tuesday reported the...

Politics

2 w. ago Experts Call for a Unified Market to Counter China's Chokehold on Critical Minerals

Experts Call for a Unified Market to Counter China's Chokehold on Critical Minerals  Investing News Network

Politics

3 w. ago China extracts critical mineral rubidium from brine for first time

Chinese scientists have achieved a breakthrough in the commercial extraction of the critical metal rubidium directly from salt lake brine, potentially slashing dependence on imports – mostly from Canada – that now supply two-thirds of China’s needs. This industrial-scale method produces ultra-pure rubidium chloride from ultra-low concentrations, offering a new domestic source for this strategically vital material. The Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes (ISL) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)...

Politics

3 w. ago Crypto, China, critical minerals: inside Pakistan army chief’s US visit

Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, was set to arrive in Washington on Thursday, three weeks after his country’s flare-up with neighbouring, nuclear-armed rival India. Munir will stay in the US until June 18 and is expected to attend the US Army’s 250th anniversary celebrations on June 14 in the nation’s capital – a day that coincides with US President Donald Trump’s birthday, according to three people familiar with the matter. The Pakistani general is likely during his visit to travel to...

Politics

3 w. ago Critical mineral industries in China’s far west using Uyghur forced labor: report

Critical mineral industries in China’s far west using Uyghur forced labor: report  Radio Free Asia

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Making a dent’: race is on to reap rare earths elsewhere amid China’s dominance

Beijing’s imposition of rare earth export restrictions from April – playing its trump card in the face of Washington’s intensifying tariffs and tech curbs – helped send a message to Washington ahead of this week’s discussions over bilateral export-control issues. Considered a trump card because rare earths have an outsized impact on auto, electronics and defence industries, and China dominates the supply chain, the trade in such critical minerals is widely expected to be among the key topics...

Politics

4 w. ago US and China begin crunch trade talks in London amid simmering tensions

Top economic officials from China and the United States have kick-started a crucial round of trade talks in London, as the world watches closely to see if the two sides can agree to roll back their “chokehold” controls over critical minerals and advanced technologies. The Chinese and American delegations – led by China’s vice-premier, He Lifeng, alongside US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer – met Monday afternoon, local...

Events

4 w. ago Ahead of US trade talks, China’s rare earth trade data from May sends a message

In a reflection of Beijing’s ability to quickly leverage its dominance over the critical-mineral supply chain, the value of rare earth elements exported by China last month plunged by nearly half compared with a year prior. The official data came as analysts have been saying that China’s export controls over large quantities of critical minerals are like the ultimate trump card in trade negotiations with the United States. The world’s second-largest economy exported rare earth elements worth...

Politics