The drive with axle and battery of a Tesla Model Y in Germany's Tesla Gigafactory. Credit: Patrick Pleul/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
From solar panels to wind turbines and electric vehicle (EV) batteries, demand for the technologies to power the transition to green energy is skyrocketing. Chinese companies have already amassed dominant positions in the renewable energy market, and its mineral suppliers stand to gain enormously. Western governments are waking up to the importance of securing these inputs — the so-called ‘critical minerals’ — with the U.S., Canada, UK and EU scrambling to put together strategies.
At The Wire, we’ve covered this global competition and the Chinese companies and characters involved: from copper to cobalt, lithium, nickel, and others. But it’s worth taking a step back to ask what these minerals are used for, and how much of them we need. This week, The Wire examines these questions and takes stock of China’s role in their supply chains.
CRITICAL MINERALS: WHAT ARE THEY GOOD FOR?
Data: Adamas Intelligence, World Bank
The term ‘critical minerals’ is
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Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative under Donald Trump, reflects on his decision to launch the trade war with China and begin the process of "strategic decoupling" — a process he says the U.S. must see through to the end.
