The metal is poised not just as a material of historical significance but as a pivotal element in driving forward the next phase of economic and technological progress.

Stung by disappearing profits, the country’s top industry body last week put forward a menu of options to limit oversupply.

Prices surged to their highest in a decade in 2022 only to plunge last year on increased production in China.

The nickel market has been thrown into chaos after a flood of new supplies from Indonesia — the result of huge Chinese investment and major technological breakthroughs.

The state fund will focus on cobalt, copper, lithium, silicon, rare earths projects, including in extraction, processing and recycling.

Industrial metals have had a soft start to the year.

The Chinese gold miner last year lodged a bid of A$0.58 a share for Tietto.

The USGS revised down its estimates of US rare earths reserves to 1.8 million tons from 2.3 million previously estimated.