Sweden announced plans to significantly boost its mining sector, particularly for rare earths, by declaring critical metal extraction a national security interest. This strategy aims to streamline permit processes and attract investment to counter European dependence on China, though it raises concerns for the Sami reindeer-herding indigenous people.
US Undersecretary Jacob Helberg discusses Washington's strategy to reduce dependence on China for rare earths and AI technology by rallying allies and securing alternative supply chains, citing past Chinese export controls that impacted allies like Japan and Europe.
A study in 'Defence Industry Conversion in China' highlights Yunnan province's role as an "irreplaceable gateway" to Indochinese resources. It proposes Yunnan as a land-based lifeline for critical mineral supply, mitigating China's reliance on the Strait of Malacca and enhancing supply-chain resilience.
US rare earths producers, backed by billions in government support, are exporting products to Japan and South Korea due to underdeveloped domestic demand and larger magnet manufacturing scales in Asia. Despite national security concerns over China's dominance, American companies are still building their supply chains.
Lynas Rare Earths has partnered with South Korea's JS Link to develop a magnet factory in Kuantan, Malaysia. The factory will produce 3,000 tonnes of magnets annually and is expected to create up to 400 jobs. Lynas will invest A$50 million in JS Link shares.
馬來西亞國會將於16日舉行聽證會，審查澳洲林納斯稀土公司與美國五角大廈9600萬美元的稀土供應協議。該協議因稀土可能用於以色列在加薩的武器而引發抗議，馬來西亞議員黃基全表示，聽證會將查明協議細節，並評估是否違反當地政策，以制定未來稀土產業政策。
Brazil's President Lula secured a beef export deal with China, criticizing US tariffs. Chinese Venezuelans aided earthquake victims in Venezuela. The EU proposed a rare earths partnership to Brazil, aiming to reduce reliance on China.
Brazil's top foreign policy adviser, Celso Amorim, stated that the AI race is a two-power contest between the US and China, with Latin America and Europe sidelined. He proposed Brazil should draw capital and technology from both sides, utilizing BRICS and the Global South to maintain balance.
The US and China are testing their post-summit detente through proposed trade and investment boards. Key issues like tariffs, drone security (DJI), and rare earths could challenge this stability if clarity is lacking.
India and the US signed a framework agreement on May 26 to secure critical mineral supplies, aiming to reduce reliance on single-source monopolies and counter coercive market practices, particularly concerning China's dominance in rare earths.
India and the US have signed a framework agreement to cooperate on critical minerals and rare earths supply chains, aiming to reduce dependence on China. The deal includes mining, processing, recycling, and investments. Separately, a Quad countries initiative was announced, targeting $20bn for resilient supply chains.
China has significantly reduced exports of rare earths and gallium to Japan since December, impacting Japanese manufacturers reliant on these critical materials for magnets, aerospace, and chip production. This move follows diplomatic tensions over Taiwan and mirrors previous export restrictions China imposed on the US.
A week after President Trump's visit to China, differing interpretations of agreements reached in Beijing are emerging. While both nations aimed to stabilize relations, the US focused on de-escalating trade tensions and securing rare earth minerals, while China sought jet engines, semiconductors, and a policy shift on Taiwan.
The EU is planning its first joint stockpile of critical minerals like tungsten, rare earths, and gallium to reduce dependence on China. Major ports like Rotterdam are being considered for storage. This move aims to insulate the EU economy from China's production dominance and leverage in trade disputes.
A new discovery of rare earth deposits in China could alter the established understanding of their distribution, potentially rewriting the 'heavy in the south, light in the north' pattern. The findings were published by a team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Chinese scientists discovered new rare earth deposits in Heilongjiang and Jilin. Unlike southern clay-rich areas, these northern formations are loose sand and gravel, potentially making extraction cheaper, more efficient, and environmentally friendly, bolstering China's global dominance.
China has agreed to purchase U.S. soybeans and improve access to rare earths, the White House announced Sunday, following a summit between Presidents Trump and Xi. Agreements also include agricultural trade and aircraft purchases.
The Trump-Xi summit poses a lose-lose situation for Europe, particularly regarding rare earth supply chains dominated by China, threatening EU industrial survival and potentially sidelining European interests in US-China trade deals.
In a conference centre in The Hague last October, a roomful of Asia-watching European officials and experts were gathered for a symposium on relations with China when news broke that Beijing was expanding export controls on rare earths and other minerals. Crucially, there was now an extraterritorial element: China could deny exports not only to direct buyers, but also restrict products made in third countries if they contained Chinese-origin rare earth content or controlled inputs. In practice,...
Chinese officials have signalled privately a growing willingness to retaliate against the United States, buoyed by confidence in their economic leverage as US President Donald Trump prepares to visit Beijing this week. Sources told the South China Morning Post that officials in Beijing had grown bolder since playing its rare earths card in October and were now less worried about tariffs. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly, said...
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told US President Donald Trump on Thursday that his country’s rare earth reserves are open to investment from China and any other nation willing to process the minerals on Brazilian soil, resisting pressure to side with Washington in its contest with Beijing over critical mineral supply chains. “We have no preference. What we want is to share with whoever wants to invest in Brazil,” Lula said at a press conference at the Brazilian embassy in...
Japan and Australia agreed to step up collaboration in areas including critical minerals, defence and energy security, tackling China’s dominance of rare earths and fuel-supply disruptions caused by the Iran war. “Australia and Japan are taking action to protect our economies from future economic shocks and uncertainty,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement after meeting his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi, in Canberra. “By working together, we will achieve more...
African eels, frozen meat and rare earths now have one thing in common – at least in China. The commodities are among a wide variety of products that can enter the country tariff-free as part of a policy to help redress the continent’s massive trade imbalance with China. The zero-tariff policy has applied to 33 “least-developed” African countries since 2024 and, from May 1, has been expanded to include 20 “middle-income” African nations. The schedule will remain in effect for two years, covering...
Planet Money tells the story of how the U.S. lost to China on rare earths.
