The European Union is developing a new plan to reduce its dependence on essential Chinese raw materials, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday, criticizing Beijing for its increased restrictions on the export of rare earths.
For years, the European Union has been trying to reduce its dependence on China for minerals needed for the transition to cleaner energy, the defense sector and the production of electric vehicles.
Von der Leyen said the EU would seek to accelerate key partnerships on raw materials with countries including Australia, Canada, Chile, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.
The plan will also include greater efforts to recycle essential raw materials in products sold in Europe, he said.
“The goal is to ensure access to alternative sources of raw materials that are essential in the short, medium and long term for our European industries,” he told a conference in Berlin.
The program, called RESourceEU, would be similar to a plan developed by the EU after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine to reduce its dependence on Russian energy, known as REPowerEU, he said.
“We will focus on everything from joint purchasing to storage. We will increase investments in strategic projects for the production and processing of essential raw materials here in the European Union,” he added.
On October 9, China imposed restrictions on the export of rare earths and battery materials.
Western governments and analysts see the increased restrictions as part of China’s response to trade tariffs imposed by the United States.
But von der Leyen said it had also had a huge impact in Europe, across industrial sectors including automotive, defence, aerospace, artificial intelligence chips and data centres.
Source: Terra
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