Beijing Tightens Its Grip on the Critical Minerals Sector

Facing a flurry of Western efforts to de-risk critical mineral supply chains, China is racing to tighten its grip on the sector, both by unleashing punishing export curbs to spook competitors and by ramping up global investment.....

.....Even with the entry of new players, Chinese companies are also moving full-speed ahead in securing a raft of new partnerships for minerals like lithium in Latin America and Africa. Chinese investment in overseas mining and metals projects is set to hit a record this year as Beijing moves to reinforce its command of these supply chains, according to a report released by China’s Fudan University in July, although it’s unclear if this momentum will continue into the new year.....

....Much of this activity—particularly in Africa and Latin America—is linked to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature foreign-policy initiative that has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into infrastructure projects spanning the globe. At last month’s Belt and Road Forum, which marked the campaign’s 10th anniversary, officials signaled that Beijing will ramp up support for green energy projects under the banner of the BRI.

“China had a huge head start through its Belt and Road Initiative,” said Tom Moerenhout, a research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. “This kind of paved the way now for the companies to take over, and that is exactly what’s happening right now.”....

https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/11/07/china-critical-mineral-rare-earth-supply-chain-electric-vehicle/