The United Kingdom plans to ramp up its critical mineral supplies to curb its reliance on China by 2035, joining the United States in a broader effort to secure more independent mineral supply chains.
On Saturday, the U.K. announced a critical minerals strategy backed by 50 million pounds, or $65.5 million, in new funding, aimed at ensuring that no more than 60% of the country’s supply of any one critical mineral is imported from a single country by 2035.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement that “Critical minerals are the backbone of modern life and our national security – powering everything from smartphones and fighter jets to electric vehicles and wind turbines.”
He added: “For too long, Britain has been dependent on a handful of overseas suppliers, leaving our economy and national security exposed to global shocks.”
The plan aims to source 10% of the U.K.’s mineral needs domestically and 20% through recycling by 2035. It also seeks to produce at least 50,000 metric tons of lithium by 2035.
The U.K. said that regions such as North East England, in County Durham and Teesside, and the South West, in Devon and Cornwall, have key critical mineral resources. The government plans to work with the mineral industry to boost production at tungsten and lithium mines in Cornwall, which is Europe’s largest deposit of lithium and the largest global supply of tungsten.
The plan focuses on minerals such as lithium, nickel, tungsten, and rare earths as they are used to build everyday products like smartphones, as well as energy and defense applications such as fighter jets.
“[W]e are taking decisive action to change that, boosting domestic production, ramping up recycling, and backing British businesses with the investment they need to compete on the international stage and drive down the cost of living for people at home,” said Starmer.
The U.K.’s strategy comes as the U.S. also seeks to strengthen its supply chain for critical minerals and rare earths to reduce its reliance on China, which dominates the industry. The overdependence on Chinese critical minerals and rare earths has raised national security concerns. China has leveraged its dominance in the market against the U.S. by halting exports of Chinese minerals as part of trade negotiations.
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China and the U.S. reached a truce last month over Beijing’s most recent export restrictions on an additional five rare earths. China agreed to suspend the restrictions for one year.
The U.K. noted that China currently controls 70% and 90% of rare earth mining and refining, making the country “vulnerable from overreliance on a select few exporters” for materials used in energy applications such as electric vehicles and wind turbines.
