Ottawa Gets Tougher on Foreign Government Investment in Critical Minerals, Orders Chinese Divestment
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. On Nov. 2 Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne ordered three Chinese companies to sell their investments in Canadian lithium companies.
“We will act decisively when investments threaten our national security and our critical minerals supply chains, both at home and abroad,” he said in a statement.
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. …