GRACELIN BASKARAN: SA must not be a pawn in power struggle over rare earth minerals
Africa needs to think strategically and position itself properly for supply chain capture
British journalist and satirist Malcolm Muggeridge once said: “All new news is old news happening to new people.”
Within the next 10 years we’re likely to wake up to news that China has invaded Taiwan. And it will have an important economic weapon: a near monopoly on rare earths, a group of 17 metallic elements. These are required for nearly everything we need: electronics such as televisions, computers and smartphones; key national defence instruments such as precision guided weapons, GPS equipment and night vision goggles; vehicles; and most renewable energy technology, including wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicle batteries...
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