Australia Eyes Rare Earth Deposits Amid Fears Over China Supplies
Australia will step up production of rare earths and other militarily sensitive “tech metals”, the country’s defense minister said, as doubts grow over the reliability of Chinese supplies. Linda Reynolds told an audience in Perth that resource-rich Australia had deposits that could safeguard supplies for allies including the United States and Britain. So-called tech minerals are used in everything from smartphones and lasers to avionic systems and electronic warfare technologies. But trade tensions have led China to warn that supplies of could be choked.
