A battle is raging between China and the West over critical minerals

A battle is raging between China and the West over critical minerals. Beijing controls the separation, refining, metal-making and magnet production that turn these minerals into sought-after technological inputs, leaving the rest of the world scrambling to build out infrastructure. Yet instead of working together to loosen China’s grip on critical-mineral supply chains, the United States and Europe are competing with each other for the same scarce assets. 

Europe is falling behind in the competition, even though it has the capital, the consumer demand and the scientific talent to support a robust critical-minerals complex. But the European Union falters when it tries to support the industry through policy. The E.U. has announced bold initiatives such as the Critical Raw Materials Act, which is intended to secure Europe’s critical-mineral supply chains. Yet the E.U.’s bureaucracy slows any innovation. The European Commission proposes, the European Parliament amends, the European Council dilutes, and 27 governments implement at different speeds and with different priorities. Responsibility for developing strong critical

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The full article is available on The Washington Post website.