EU to propose ‘concrete’ critical mineral plan before end of 2025
The move follows Beijing’s announcement in October of sweeping export controls on rare earths
Brussels is seeking to flesh out a plan to reduce its dependence on China for critical minerals before the end of the year, a European Commission spokesperson said on Monday.
The comments come after Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s weekend unveiling of ‘RESourceEU’, a proposal to strengthen Europe’s supply chain resilience for strategically crucial metals by boosting trade links with third countries. The plan includes increasing domestic mining and refining, and joint stockpiling.
China dominates the world’s supply of critical minerals, which are the building blocks of everything from electric vehicles and computers to wind turbines, radars, and fighter jets.
“The intention with the RESourceEU proposal is to come forward with a concrete initiative before the end of the year,” Commission trade spokesperson Olof Gill told reporters. He added that the initiative would seek to “complement” the 2024 Critical Raw Material Act, a similar plan to reduce the bloc’s strategic dependence on China, without providing details.
The news follows Beijing’s announcement earlier this month of sweeping export controls on a range of minerals known as rare earths, tightening previous restrictions imposed in April that have already forced some EU firms to shutter production. China accounts for roughly 70% of global mining and 90% of the world’s refining capacity.
Brussels ‘concerned’ by new Chinese rare earth restrictions
The European Commission said it was unsettled by China’s sweeping new export controls on strategically…
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The move has exacerbated tensions between Brussels and Beijing, which have long been aggravated by China’s growing trade surplus, and its deepening political and economic links with Russia.
Gill also said on Monday that Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao would not participate in a “high-level” meeting between Chinese and European officials in Brussels this week, despite EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič’s suggestion last week that Wang would join.
“High-level technical people” from China will arrive in Brussels on Thursday, Gill said. “I don’t need to name them; I ain’t gonna name them. You just need to trust me that they’re high-level, that they’re technical, and that they’re working hard to get the job done.”
The Chinese delegation’s visit comes on the same day of a planned meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
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