China targets Australia’s rare earths as tensions escalate – by Alex Turner-Cohen (News.com.au – July 21, 2021)

https://www.news.com.au/

China could stop every technological and electrical industry in the world and plunge the planet into the dark ages with just one move.

China has the power to stop every technological and electrical industry in the world and plunge the planet into the dark ages any time it wants, an expert has warned.

Even more worryingly, escalating tensions between China and the West makes it look very likely that this will happen sooner rather than later.

Dr Jeffrey Wilson, research director at the Perth USAsia Centre, said that China owns around 80 per cent of the world’s supply of critical minerals – which is a “powerful weapon”.

“Critical minerals are weird rocks basically – you’ve got them in your phone, in the (TV) antenna, in your computers. They’re used in tiny quantities,” he told news.com.au.

“China has worked out they have a weapon. This is a potentially weaponisable asset, the same way Saudi (Arabia) has petrol.” Even though a smart phone only uses 50 micrograms of critical minerals, it wouldn’t be able to function without them.

For the rest of this article: https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/mining/china-targets-australias-rare-earths-as-tensions-escalate/news-story/4240a03a2d1376996485be5f89215634