China dominates the rare earth industry, accounting for approximately 60 percent of rare earth metal mining and approximately 90 percent of rare earth metal processing in 2023. In order to combat this near-monopoly and to...more
The Australian Government recently released its Critical Minerals Strategy 2023–2030 (CM Strategy). BACKGROUND - Australia holds some of the world’s largest repositories of cobalt, lithium and vanadium — elements critical...more
In recent years, the government contracts space has seen an increased scrutiny of procurements from certain countries, especially the People's Republic of China. A prominent example is Section 889 of the National Defense...more
Critical raw materials, such as rare earths, lithium and cobalt, are essential to the energy transition and to modern and green technologies. As States compete to secure these materials, there is an increasing importance to...more
In recent months, the critical minerals sector has been at the top of government legislative and regulatory agendas and has been subject to substantial media attention. "Critical minerals" is a generic term that refers to a...more
The Japanese parliament has enacted the first comprehensive economic security legislation to enhance Japan's national security from an economic activities perspective, especially focusing on sensitive industry sectors such as...more
Legislation Introduced In The Context Of Significant Federal Attention To Vulnerable Supply Chains, Including Critical Minerals And Materials - On January 14, 2022, Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ)...more
On September 24, 2021, the Department of Commerce announced that its Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is investigating whether imports of neodymium-ironboron (NdFeB) permanent magnets, or rare earth magnets, undermine...more
In 2019, the US imposed sanctions against China in reaction to “serious human rights abuse against ethnic minorities in Xinjiang...” The sanctions followed reports of mass arbitrary detention and severe physical abuse, among...more
President Biden issued an “Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains” (the “EO”) on February 24, 2021, ordering 100-day and 1-year reviews of certain critical supply chains. The initial 100-day review aims to assess risks...more
On 3 September 2020, the European Commission presented its Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials to secure the European Union's access to critical raw materials and reduce its dependency on third countries. The proposed...more
Another day, another major U.S. restriction on Chinese tech. The Commerce Department is out with new rules “curbing Huawei Technologies Co.’s access to foreign-made chips.” The measures would “prohibit non-U.S. companies from...more
[co-authors: Alex Monié, Policy Advisor and Gabriel Harrison, Public Policy Specialist] The annual “must-pass” defense authorization legislation contains provisions to address supply chain domestication in light of the...more
Some U.S. tech firms are finding ways to get around the White House’s Huawei no fly zone, with Micron, Qualcomm, and Intel leading the way...more
Rare earth elements are found in nearly every aspect of our lives. Televisions, smartphones, tablets, computers, stereos, and cars all contain rare earth elements. Our national security also relies on rare earths in...more