VIDEO: Critical minerals race driving resource nationalism
Jimena Blanco, chief analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, says that geopolitical tensions are causing major shifts in global mining policies.
China’s exports of rare earth metals burst through the $100,000-per-tonne mark for the first time in February, up almost ninefold from a year before, while the volume of trade stayed far below historical averages.
China’s squeeze on rare earths, which are used in a wide range of hardware including precision-guided weapons, hybrid car batteries and iPads, has forced prices up dramatically since July last year, when each tonne fetched a mere $14,405 on average.
