Critical minerals – the next front line in the China-US rivalry?
- China should shore up its supply chains in essential resources as the US seeks to cut dependence, experts suggest
- Washington has long been aware of its vulnerabilities but Beijing has not come up with a way to assess supply risks
“The focus should be on controlling the risk of shortages of key minerals, building a global trade network for key minerals that is conducive to China’s resource security, and achieving a rational, efficient and secure allocation of key minerals,” they wrote.
“At the same time, China should focus … on strengthening cooperation with other mineral resource supplying countries, form international resource alliances, and speak out together in international trade negotiations to ensure the security of supply of key minerals to China and friendly countries.”
The authors – Zhao Shen from Jiangxi University of Science and Technology and Wang Peng from the Ganjiang Innovation Academy at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Jiangxi – are based in Ganzhou, the resource-rich region home to state-owned China Rare Earth Group.
The proposal is part of an assessment of US policies on supplies of essential minerals over the decades.