How firms should react to rivalry between America and China in critical minerals
The intensifying strategic competition between America and China is reshaping global trade, industrial policy and supply chains in ways that businesses can no longer ignore. Hany Besada explains how multinational firms must rewrite their strategies and re-route their supply chains to reflect the risks to international business. Tariffs, export controls and investment restrictions are increasingly intersecting with competition over critical minerals, such …
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Critical Minerals: Global Gallium Supply & Demand
Gallium is a soft, silvery metal that producers recover almost entirely as a byproduct of aluminum and zinc processing. It has emerged as one of the most geopolitically contested commodities of the decade. Gallium-based semiconductors power 5G networks, military radar systems, and satellite communications. China produces 99 percent of the world’s primary gallium. The United States stopped domestic production almost four decades …
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Korea, China reaffirm need to ensure stable supply chains for critical minerals, rare earths
Korea and China have reaffirmed the need to work together to ensure stable supply chains for critical minerals, rare earths and other materials amid growing global uncertainties, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. They shared the understanding during the Joint Economic Commission, a high-level bilateral economic dialogue, led by Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jina and Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Yan …
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US Government Equity and Equity-Linked Investments in Critical Minerals
Federal equity and equity-linked instruments have become embedded in the sector’s financing architecture, with direct consequences for M&A structuring, capital formation, liability management, governance and exit planning. The US government’s role in critical minerals has shifted materially. Executive actions, agency designations, and sustained public emphasis have framed critical minerals as essential to national security, defense readiness, grid resilience, job creation …
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Venezuelan policy revision opens bauxite and critical minerals mining to foreign capital
In an effort to attract foreign and private investment, Venezuela has approved new mining legislation. The reform has repealed mining laws from 1999 and 2015, allowing for broader participation in the extraction of gold and critical minerals such as bauxite and coltan. It is part of a wider strategy to stabilise the economy and unlock the country’s vast natural resource …
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EU launches critical minerals procurement platform to cut China dependence
The European Union on Monday launched the critical minerals section of its energy and materials procurement platform, which aims to give more power to regional buyers and cut dependence on dominant producer China by aggregating their purchases. The platform is part of the bloc’s RESourceEU strategy, announced in December to develop its supply chains for rare earths and other strategic …
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Australia and US Boost Support for Critical Minerals With $3.5 Billion
Australia and the U.S. have committed more than A$5 billion ($3.5 billion) to back a range of critical mineral projects, nearly double the amount pledged when the two countries struck a co-operation agreement six months ago, Canberra said on Sunday. The funding seeks to support Australian ventures to develop and refine metals vital to industries including defense, advanced manufacturing and …
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EU, US near critical minerals pact to counter China’s grip
The European Union and the US are nearing a deal to coordinate critical minerals production and supply chains, aiming to reduce reliance on China. The proposed agreement, reported by Bloomberg News on Friday, would introduce incentives such as minimum pricing mechanisms to support non-Chinese suppliers, according to a draft action plan seen by the news outlet. The plan also calls for cooperation …
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Can Philippines become critical minerals powerhouse with help from US, Japan?
To curb China’s dominance in the sector, Manila has to cut red tape and fight corruption to draw US and Japanese investors. The US and Japan have an ambition to transform the Philippines into a critical minerals powerhouse and cut their reliance on China as part of a broader economic partnership, but analysts warn that a lack of commitment by Manila to introduce comprehensive reforms and tackle …
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Critical Minerals Become a Campaign Weapon in Brazil’s 2026 Presidential Race
Brazil critical minerals were a technical policy topic six months ago. Now they are a presidential campaign issue — with each major candidate staking out a position that reveals how they would manage the country’s most consequential foreign policy question: alignment with Washington, Beijing, or neither. The global race for the minerals that power electric vehicles, wind turbines, semiconductors, and …
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