Depending on China for rare earth minerals puts the UK in a vulnerable position because the “entire future” of manufacturing is based on them, a select committee of MPs heard on Tuesday.
Asked which UK sectors are most vulnerable because of China’s dominance in critical minerals, Jeff Townsend, founder of the Critical Minerals Association, told a Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on critical minerals that the resource affects all key industries such as electric vehicles, space, technology, advanced robotics, and weaponry.
MPs are warned that China is likely to remain dominant in the next 10 to 15 years and that the UK must engage with mineral-rich countries to build a supply chain outside of communist-controlled China….