Category: Supply Chains

Delicate Extraction: Malaysia Offers Rare Earths Alternative to China

Bu Jan Hennop Workers load tonnes of rare earth minerals into bags ready for shipping at a refinery in eastern Malaysia, fuelling the global pushback against China's grip on the critical sector. Rare earths are a ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The Emerging China-Global South Energy Nexus

This month brought quietly momentous news: for the first time ever, the world’s share of renewable energy surpassed that generated by burning coal. 
China is one of the world’s biggest consumers of coal and is therefore partly responsible for bringing us to our current carbon crisis. 

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EU, U.S. Sign Critical Minerals Plan to Counter China Reliance

The European Union and the United States signed an agreement on Friday to coordinate on the supply of critical minerals needed for key industries, including defense, as China's dominance becomes a growing concern. The pact marks a rare embrace by President ...

China’s Sulfur Export Ban Exposes a Hidden Chokepoint in Global Metals Supply Chains

By Andy Home The Iran war has already caused turmoil in the global aluminum market, but now the fallout is spreading to both copper and nickel supply chains. The conduit is sulfur, a by-product ...

China Issues Sweeping New Supply Chain Protections

China’s State Council on Tuesday issued a directive aimed at strengthening its global supply chains against espionage and global trade barriers. The rules give national agencies the power to instigate security investigations against foreign countries and international organizations if they “adopt ...

U.S. Frets Over Potential Chinese Role in Brazil’s Santos Port

Kevin Murakami, the U.S. consul general in São Paulo, said Washington would oppose a Chinese company winning a tender for a planned large container terminal at Brazil’s Port of Santos, one of Latin America’s most strategic trade hubs. Murakami warned Brazilian ...

China Seeks Iran Deal for Tanker Passage Through Closed Strait of Hormuz

China is reportedly in talks with Iran to negotiate safe passage for oil and gas tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently closed to most maritime traffic. Beijing is reportedly displeased with Tehran over the closure of the narrow ...

Chinese Miners Double Down on Africa as U.S. Pushes Parallel Critical Minerals Chain

Chinese analysts are responding to Washington’s push to build a China-free critical minerals supply chain with a mix of urgency and confidence. While U.S. policymakers are leaning on allies, financing, and offtake agreements to secure supplies of African copper, cobalt, and other strategic inputs, analysts in China ...

After a Panama Port Decision, Washington Faces Hard Choices on China and the Canal

U.S. government officials celebrated last week's decision by the Supreme Court in Panama to nullify the contract for a Hong Kong-based company to operate ports along the country's two coasts, leading into the canal zone. A lot of people erroneously thought ...

U.S. to Buy 100,000 Tonnes of Congolese Copper Sourced From a Chinese-Run Mine

The United States is going to source 100,000 tonnes of copper from the state-owned mining company in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gécamines, ostensibly to help the U.S. diversify its sourcing of the red metal beyond China-controlled supply chains. What's ...

China Confronts the Limits of Its Critical Mineral Power

If you want to see where great-power competition is most visible today, look to the fast-growing world of critical minerals. What began as a technical supply-chain issue has become a central arena in which the United States and China are testing their industrial strength, geopolitical leverage, and ...

China Pauses Port Fees as U.S. Halts Shipbuilding Probe

China has postponed extra port fees on U.S.-linked vessels and put its shipping review on hold after the United States paused its probe into China’s shipbuilding sector for one year. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said ...

China’s GEM Seals Nickel Deal with Indonesia’s SWF Danantara

China’s battery materials giant GEM has signed a head of agreement with Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund Danantara to build a nickel and recycling hub. The agreement, confirmed by Danantara investment chief Pandu Sjahrir on Tuesday, marks the fund’s first ...

Vietnam’s FDI Surges 40% on Reinvestments Amid Global Tensions

Amid intensifying global U.S.-China tensions and global efforts to diversify supply chains, Vietnam is consolidating its position as a key Southeast Asian industrial hub. In the first quarter of this year, Vietnam's FDI is surging 40% on reinvestments. According to ...
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