China ’s control over the world’ s rare earth market has attracted much attention. People speculate that with the upgrading of the trade war, China, as the main producer of rare earth, may break the supply of rare earth.But if the relationship between China and the United States worsen, rare earth is not the only strategic mineral worthy of attention.

According to Bloomberg, considering Trump's lightning war launched by Huawei, a major telecommunications equipment dealer in China, there may be more Chinese technology companies in the future to become the target of attack.The industry will be implicated.This week's Chinese President ... After inspecting a rare earth company, rare earth attracted the market's most attention.In fact, China had previously had a precedent for rare earth as a political weapon, especially after the leading seas with Japan in 2010.

The possibility of the cold war between China and the United States has pushed some emerging fields into the spotlight due to the cold war between trade issues, and China has ensured the security of the supply chain in advance in these markets.These include batteries for electric vehicles and large -capacity storage. These batteries depend on cobalt, lithium and a series of other materials. These materials have not been widely used in the past, but their importance is becoming increasingly prominent today.

Usually China is regarded as the main consumer country of commodities, but in the following industries, China has a certain influence in the United States or has a great advantage in supply in terms of supply.

New Energy

China has a sharp lead, not only the production link of electric vehicles, but also reflected in the manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries.According to DARTON COMMODIES LTD., in the field of cobalt chemicals, China's output accounted for about 80%of the world's last year.In addition, through the production facilities of the Congo (Gold), China has also become a major country for cobalt raw materials, accounting for about 70 % of the world's supply.

Former Senior Supervisor of Tesla's supply chain, Vivas Kumar, the current chief consultant of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, said that the United States relies on non -domestic resources to obtain metal that affects the future development of the country. This strategy has faced a wide range of risks.According to Benchmark's data, 67%of the global battery production capacity comes from China, and the United States accounts for only 9%.

The United States may face the same issues that rely on foreign oil that they encountered before.This is beyond the range of electric vehicles and batteries, it is already a national security issue, Kumar said via email.

This may provide more motivation for manufacturers to seek expansion of the influence of the United States in terms of battery metal.People have recognized that the source of diversified supply, and we have the opportunity in China, Mitchell Smith, chief executive of Global Energy Metals Corp.The company is mainly engaged in the development of American cobalt projects.

Rare earth

This week, when the official Chinese media reported that the President of the State ... After inspecting a rare earth factory in Jiangxi, the rare earth industry suddenly fluctuated.It is speculated that China is preparing to use its dominance in rare earth supply to deal with the trade war.80 % of the rare earth in the United States relies on imports from China.Rare earth is eventually applied to wind turbine and electric vehicles, as well as smartphones and military devices.

It can be said that rare earths are closer to the front line of trade than some other minerals.Beijing has imposed tariffs on the only rare earth producer in the United States, but the Trump administration's potential tariffs on China have not started in China.

(Other) Key minerals

Some American councilors have paid greater attention to mining security even before recent trade tensions.At the end of 2017, Trump ordered in -depth research on how the United States resolved its dependence on overseas supply.Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski is launching a US mineral security bill, which aims to encourage domestic production by accelerating the issuance of permits to approve more research and support recovery.

The US government expanded the types of products on the key mineral list last year to 35, including cobalt, lithium and rare earth.Several of them are important suppliers: such as arsenic for semiconductors,; 铟 (LCD screen); 锑 (battery); 钪 (fuel cell); 铋 (medical and atomic research).