Beyond Pax Silica: Japan, France and Canada seek rare earth autonomy

Wary of both Beijing’s grip and Washington’s whims, three G7 allies are charting their own independent critical mineral course

“Beyond Pax Silica: Japan, France and Canada seek rare earth autonomy Wary of both Beijing’s grip and Washington’s whims, three G7 allies are charting their own independent critical mineral course The options under discussion include import quotas on certain rare earths, subsidies to help mining companies shift production out of China, and a Canada-led initiative to develop a reliable critical minerals network untethered from any single superpower”

South China Morning Post

The options under discussion include import quotas on certain rare earths, subsidies to help mining companies shift production out of China, and a Canada-led initiative to develop a reliable critical minerals network untethered from any single superpower.

Speaking on the sidelines of a recent mining conference in Toronto, Hiroyuki Hatada, director of the Americas Division at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said one approach would be to subsidise Western mining projects until they could compete commercially with Chinese producers – an acknowledgement of how steep that climb would be.

“Beyond Pax Silica: Japan, France and Canada seek rare earth autonomy Wary of both Beijing’s grip and Washington’s whims, three G7 allies are charting their own independent critical mineral course The options under discussion include import quotas on certain rare earths, subsidies to help mining companies shift production out of China, and a Canada-led initiative to develop a reliable critical minerals network untethered from any single superpower”

South China Morning Post

The strategic logic is not difficult to follow.

China controls more than 90 per cent of global production for rare earths, which are essential for everything from mobile phones to electric vehicles and hi-tech weapons systems.

South China Morning Post