Can Australia break China’s monopoly on critical minerals?
Asia’s new resource competition
JUST AS OIL was weaponised by its suppliers in the 1970s, so China’s dominance in the supply and processing of critical minerals could prove threatening. Cobalt, graphite, lithium, nickel, the rare earths and more are called critical for good reason. They are crucial to defence, smartphones and other digital technologies. A handful are essential to wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles. A clean-energy future is inconceivable without them.
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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Asia’s new resource competition”
Asia June 24th 2023
From the June 24th 2023 edition
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