Australia plans the China-free supply chain

Bangkok In the global competition for the key raw materials for the expansion of electromobility and renewable energies, Australia’s government warns of the considerable risks posed by China’s dominant role. Against this background, the country wants to position itself as a key alternative to the People’s Republic when it comes to supplying critical minerals such as lithium and rare earths.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government is currently working on a new national strategy with which it wants to increase Australia’s importance in the world market. The government is already describing the initial situation in clear terms: The current concentration of the industry in China makes supply chains particularly susceptible to disruptions – “with far-reaching and profound economic consequences,” Australia’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jim Chalmers, warned a few days ago.

He compared the situation in the business with the raw materials, which are needed for electric car batteries as well as for wind turbines, with the dependence on Russian energy supplies: “Supply and price are being held hostage by conflicts and geopolitical competition.”