Eager to cut China dependence, EU eyes processing 40 per cent of its strategic raw materials by 2030

Bloc does not want to rely on third countries for more than 70 per cent of any of 30 critical minerals, according to leaked proposal seen by Post

With 98 per cent of EU’s rare earths coming from China, ‘such dependencies can create a high risk of supply disruption’, draft reads

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Workers at a cobalt mine pit in Katanga province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of several countries with whom the European Union hopes to bolster ties to secure access to mineral reserves. Photo: Reuters

Published: 3:00pm, 10 Mar 2023

The European Union wants to process 40 per cent of the strategic raw materials it uses by 2030, as it looks to slash its dependence on China for the minerals that will power industries of the future.

It also aims to ensure it will not rely on third countries for more than 70 per cent of any of 30 critical minerals, according to a leaked proposal to be unveiled next Tuesday and seen by the South China Morning Post.

The moves come amid a surge in anxiety about Europe’s dependence on China and other autocratic states for inputs that are essential to achieving its environmental and technological transition goals.

The lists of minerals include cobalt and lithium used in advanced batteries, scandium and vanadium used in aerospace equipment and weaponry, and gallium and germanium that are used to make semiconductors.

Also on the lists are the light and heavy rare earth elements that are dominated by China, which either mines or processes the vast majority of the global supply.

Of the rare earth minerals used in Europe, 98 per cent come from China, according to Brussels’ own statistics. These are essential to ramping up solar and wind power facilities and charging up electric vehicles and other smart devices that the EU sees as critical to its industrial development.