The geopolitics of critical minerals and recent approaches to trade cooperation

Series 8, Episode 2 - Critical minerals are ‘critical’ to the manufacture of vital 21st century products as electric vehicles, mobile phones, solar panels, clean technology, and defence equipment. These mineral reserves are also found in considerable quantities outside of non-Western countries. China has been quick off the mark in building out the processing and manufacturing infrastructure that gives them supply chain dominance but creates risks of supply chain weaponisation. To reduce this dependency and risk, the UK, EU, US and others have all developed different approaches to securing access to these supply chains. In this podcast, we explore what some of these approaches are, their pros and cons, and what considerations must inform sustained global cooperation on critical minerals. Joining our host Chris Horseman (Borderlex) are Sunayana Sasmal (UKTPO / University of Sussex), Dan Marks (Royal United Services Institute) and Tim Figures (Boston Consulting Group).

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