THE RACE FOR RARE MINERALS

The US, Australia, Japan and India — known as the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) grouping to give its full nomenclature)- have finally woken up to the arm-twisting or rare minerals blackmail by China and agreed to collaborate on both securing and diversifying critical rare mineral supply chains. This was one of the key outcomes of the meeting of the foreign ministers in Washington.

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Called the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative is a reflection of how all four countries and countless others have become increasingly queasy about any one country holding a veto on how, when and who they will provide these rare minerals to. The consequence of such strong-arm tactics has seen the Quad issue a stinging statement: Reliance on any one country for processing and refining critical minerals and derivative goods production exposes our industries to economic coercion, price manipulation, and supply chain disruptions, which further harms our economic and national security.”