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West to Take on China in Race for Africa’s Critical Minerals – SCMP

A US-led group met with African nations recently to bolster supply chains needed for the clean energy transition in a bid to “challenge Chinese dominance” in critical minerals


A Western group has set up a funding initiative to challenge China in the race for critical minerals from countries in Africa needed for the transition to clean energy.
A researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs is quoted as saying: "One reason that China leads in these [mineral] industries is that a lot of the processing is dangerous and toxic. China has been the country willing to bear the related industrial and environmental risks and costs.” This image shows rare earths packed into bags at a mine in Kachin State in northern Myanmar. Photo: Global Witness.

 

The US and its allies have established a funding body for resource-rich African countries to bolster supply chains needed for the transition to clean energy in a bid to “challenge Chinese dominance” in critical minerals, according to a report in the South China Post, which said a US-led group known as the Minerals Security Partnership met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York recently to “discuss priorities, challenges and opportunities in responsible mining and processing of critical minerals”.

The group, set up in June, includes the US, Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Britain and the European Commission, it said, and their representatives met with officials from five of African states – the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia – to discuss funding and provide “information to improve the domestic processing of critical minerals” needed for electric vehicle batteries, solar panels and wind turbines, such as lithium and cobalt.

Read the full report: SCMP.

 

 

ALSO SEE:

 

China Rare Earth Mines ‘Poisoning’ Northern Myanmar – Report

Australia Urged to Work With US on Rare Earths, Critical Minerals

Rare Earths Miner Lynas Sees Demand Outstripping Output

China’s Mineral Dominance a Challenge for US: Think Tank

 

 

Jim Pollard

Jim Pollard is an Australian journalist based in Thailand since 1999. He worked for News Ltd papers in Sydney, Perth, London and Melbourne before travelling through SE Asia in the late 90s. He was a senior editor at The Nation for 17+ years.

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