The ongoing trade war between the US and China is escalating tensions over critical minerals, key components in renewable energy technologies. For decades, oil companies relied on traditional methods to extract and process their products, but with a shift towards less carbon-intensive economies, new challenges have emerged.
Sourcing alternative materials has proven difficult, as evidenced by China’s successful decade-long efforts to dominate the global market for critical minerals used in electric vehicle batteries, solar panels, and wind turbine magnets. As the US and China engage in trade disputes, the stakes are high, with the fate of a low-carbon future hanging in the balance.
Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-16/why-trump-s-tariff-threat-escalates-us-china-critical-minerals-clash