With ties between China and the U.S. and Europe becoming increasingly strained, there’s growing concern in Washington, Brussels, and other European capitals about China’s dominance over the supply for strategically vital metals and minerals, especially cobalt.
Cobalt is widely used in aerospace applications, electronics, and in EV batteries. The fact that Chinese entities own some of the largest mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo and processing facilities in China, is raising Western concerns about Chinese dominance.