A man driving a front loader shifts soil containing rare earth minerals to be loaded at a port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China, on Sept. 5, 2010. STR/AFP via Getty Images
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As China uses its dominance of critical minerals as a geopolitical tool—limiting exports and imposing tariffs—and as demand for these elements in defence and the high-tech sectors grow, there’s a new sense of urgency in the West to break China’s hold.
Ottawa recently joined other G7 leaders in launching a critical minerals action plan, and Prime Minister Mark Carney has noted the important role such minerals play in expanding the country’s defence plan.
