Reminder: China Will Be Central to Clean Tech Supply Chains for a Long Time

A set of graphs by FT showing China's centrality in critical minerals refining. Keep in mind that much of the nickel refining done in Indonesia is by Chinese firms.

Financial Times published a fascinating rundown of China’s ongoing centrality in the mining and refining of critical minerals. These minerals, which include lithium, cobalt and nickel, are key to many clean energy applications, from e-vehicle batteries to wind turbines.

China’s investments in overseas metals and mining are on track to hit records this year. This means that while countries like Chile, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe and Indonesia are global centers for these minerals, the work of mining and refining them is frequently also done by Chinese companies.

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by Cobus van Staden

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