Rare earths: another reason we mustn’t allow Russia to win in Ukraine | Letters
www.theguardian.com
Fri, 27 Dec 2024 19:11:44 +0200
Dictators in Russia and China should be denied further control of raw materials used in electronics, writes John E Havard.
Plus a letter from Fawzi IbrahimA footnote to the excellent article by Timothy Garton Ash What if Russia wins in Ukraine We can already see the shadows of a dark 2025, 21 December.
The socalled rare earths are essential raw materials for advanced electronics industries.
China with the worlds largest economically exploitable reserves has a major strategic advantage in access to rare earths, underlined by the tight export controls that it has recently imposed.
In Europe, it is eastern Ukraine that has the best reserves.
To gain and maintain control of Ukraines reserves would be a major boost for Russia.A defeat here for Ukraine, enabled by the failure of the west to provide the longterm support that it has promised, would signal to China that it should not be too concerned about western resolve in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Taiwan is a dominant supplier of the advanced electronics, incorporating rare earths, that will continue to be a major determinant of economic success.
Continue reading...
Latest news
more news