China’s Grip on Critical Minerals Draws Warnings at IEA Gathering
- US Energy Secretary Granholm makes comments at event in Paris
- IEA’s first-ever critical minerals event spotlights worries
A worker checks a rotor core for wind turbines at a factory in Nantong, China.
Photographer: AFP/Getty ImagesUS Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the world is up against a dominant supplier of critical minerals that is willing to exploit its position for political gain, in remarks apparently aimed at China, and warned that energy security will become increasingly complex due to the transition to cleaner power.
The remarks to high-level government officials, executives and academics came Thursday in Paris at the International Energy Agency’s first-ever meeting about critical minerals. Granholm and other speakers repeatedly implied that one country — China — controls much of the world’s processing of materials used in everything from electric vehicles and wind turbines to missile guidance systems.