Published: · Region: Global · Category: markets

Rare Earth Push: US Backs Australian Miner to Cut China Leverage

Washington is throwing its weight behind an Australian rare earth producer in a bid to loosen China’s grip on the critical minerals that power electric vehicles, missiles and wind turbines. The move signals that supply chains once left to markets are now treated as strategic terrain.

The United States is backing an Australian rare earth mining company in an effort to dilute China’s dominance over critical mineral supply chains, in a move that carries implications for everything from electric vehicles and smartphones to advanced missiles and radar systems. According to reporting on 10 August, Washington has decided to support an Australian rare earth miner as part of a broader strategy to reduce reliance on Chinese processing and exports. While specific financial terms and the identity of the company were not immediately detailed in the brief report, the decision fits a pattern of US agencies and allies steering capital and political support toward non-Chinese sources of rare…

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