UK 'Dangerously' Reliant on China for Critical Minerals Needed for Defence and AI, MPs Warn
LONDON — The United Kingdom is "dangerously" dependent on China for critical raw materials needed for the military, renewable energy infrastructure and artificial intelligence, a parliamentary investigation has found, according to a report published on November 5 by the House of Commons Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee.
Without securing supplies of critical minerals, the UK cannot re-arm, achieve net zero or build AI infrastructure, the committee said. China dominates the processing of seven categories of minerals, including refined lithium for electric vehicles and rare earths used in the fuselage and wings of military aircraft. Evidence heard by the committee showed demand for lithium is set to increase 45-fold between now and 2030, while demand for rare earths used in permanent magnets for military jets is expected to rise 16-fold over the same period.
The committee called for an urgent centralised policy and the creation of a "critical minerals finance facility" to help fund rare earth and other critical mineral mines, deploying grants, equity and debt to accelerate diversification. Committee chairman Liam Byrne said: "Critical minerals are the alpha of the new economy. We cannot re-arm Britain, build AI or deliver net zero unless we secure the minerals these technologies depend on. Yet 16 years after China first weaponised its chokehold over rare earths, Britain remains dangerously exposed."
The government said it was taking action through its critical minerals strategy, including ￡400 million to ramp up domestic production and recycling, and has set binding targets for 2035: securing 10 percent of critical mineral demand from domestic production, 20 percent through recycling, and capping exposure so that no single overseas supplier provides more than 60 percent of any single mineral. The report is due to be discussed at a Chatham House symposium on Thursday.
Source: UK Parliament
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：英国伦敦议会大厦（资料图）。Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Palace of Westminster in London (file photo). Wikimedia Commons.
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