Ottawa Gets Tougher on Foreign Government Investment in Critical Minerals
News Analysis
Ottawa is taking steps to protect and develop its critical minerals supply chain by cracking down on foreign governments’ investment in these natural resources, though with China, experience has shown that determining whether or not a company is state-owned has been difficult.
Critical minerals, which include lithium, cobalt, copper, as well as the rare earth elements, are vital for a number of technologies across a range of applications, such as batteries, electronics, defence, and renewable energy. Thus the demand for them is only projected to go up.
China is by far the dominant player in the global critical minerals supply chain—with 80 percent market share in some cases—and Canada and the United States are trying to wrest control to ensure reliable access for themselves and their allies….