【By Observer Net, Qi Qian】

On September 9 local time, the European Commission released a report stating that the global geopolitical order is undergoing drastic changes, and to ensure the supply of critical energy, the EU needs to pay attention to "advanced mining technologies, including space mining, starting from the Moon".

"Is Brussels crazy?" That day, Politico EU, a European edition of the American political news website, published an article, asking in disbelief.

The report pointed out that key metals such as lithium, copper, nickel, and rare earths are crucial for fields such as renewable energy and electric vehicles, but the EU does not produce these metals at all internally. Data shows that the EU imports almost 100% of its rare earths from China.

However, given the current level of technological development, industrial-scale space mining remains a distant dream.

Conceptual image of space mining, by the U.S. space news website

The European Commission is concerned that key energy suppliers may unite like OPEC, driving up prices and "limiting access to critical materials, thus posing a serious challenge to the EU's strategic autonomy and clean energy transition."

In a report on key threats to European security and prosperity, the European Commission stated, "The global order has been greatly shaken," and non-EU countries may no longer be reliable suppliers of materials needed for low-carbon energy technology. The report said, "In response, the world may increasingly focus on... advanced mining technologies, including space mining, starting from the Moon."

Politico EU interpreted this as the EU meaning that the global order is splitting, and the EU must turn to outer space to find raw materials. In short, the EU believes it needs to mine the Moon.

According to the report, celestial bodies such as the Moon are usually rich in useful metals such as rare earths, aluminum, titanium, manganese, as well as precious metals such as gold and platinum.

Previously, several countries have begun promoting space mining, including NASA and JAXA. Within the EU, Luxembourg has positioned itself as Europe's space mining center, hoping to use robots to mine the Moon and asteroids.

The European Commission estimates that the value of space resources between 2018 and 2045 could reach 170 billion euros.

However, the report also warned that, given the current level of technological development, industrial-scale space mining remains a distant dream, and practical solutions for mining and transporting the extracted metals back to Earth are still in the early stages.

In March this year, the BBC cited expert analysis stating that humans are still far from large-scale space mining.

Viktor Vescovo, an investor at the private U.S. space mining company AstroForge, said, "It may take decades to fully realize asteroid mining." However, he also believed it was a mathematical problem, "If bringing back a few micrograms proves feasible, scaling up would be relatively simple."

Ian Lang, an associate professor at the Colorado School of Mines, was more cautious. He said, "Mining in space may be relatively simple, but replicating this process in space will be much more difficult. It is currently hard to say whether existing technology is feasible, or if entirely new technology must be developed."

Sample of meteorite found in Russia in 1967, photo

While Politico EU questioned the EU's idea of mining the Moon, it also understood the EU's energy anxiety.

In recent years, the energy transition has led to a surge in demand for critical minerals in the EU.

For example, copper is essential for any device that uses electricity. To achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, some estimates suggest that the amount of copper needed globally over the next 25 years would equal the total amount mined throughout human history. The situation with lithium used in electric vehicle batteries is similar. The European Commission expects that by 2030, the EU's demand for lithium for batteries will be 12 times that of 2020, and 21 times by 2050. But the EU produces no lithium at all.

It is reported that the EU has a small land area and a dense population, strict environmental protection, and an active civil society, which makes it difficult to develop mines even if resources are found. EU citizens do not want mines in their backyard.

At the same time, the EU has also lagged in establishing critical raw material supply chains and refining capabilities.

According to a report by the Jacques Delors Institute, a European think tank, China has firmly controlled the supply chain of critical raw materials, refining 40% of the world's copper, 60% of lithium, 70% of cobalt, and nearly 100% of graphite. The report pointed out, "The EU imports almost 100% of its rare earths from China. This puts the EU at risk of supply interruptions and price fluctuations, amplifying vulnerabilities in key areas."

China dominates the global rare earth magnet market, infographic by the Financial Times

After China introduced measures to control the export of rare earths, the West felt "choked" and began pouring money into developing "non-China" supply chains.

On September 8 local time, German Chancellor Merkel spoke at an event in Berlin about reducing dependence on China, vowing to reduce reliance on China in key materials and claiming that China is ready to "take advantage" of Germany's weaknesses—trade loopholes.

Merkel said, "For our China policy, this means we seek cooperation as much as possible—on climate policy issues, global crises, and many other challenges. At the same time, we recognize that systemic competition is intensifying. Therefore, in the interest of our security and competitiveness, and strategic sovereignty, we must prioritize diversifying our raw material and trade supply chains."

However, the Financial Times recently published an article stating that Western efforts to build competitive supply chains and break China's dominance face challenges in terms of cost and scale. Analysts generally believe that due to decades of national planning and strategic acquisitions, China has become the lowest-cost producer at every stage of the rare earth value chain, while most Western companies have always followed the principle of "pursuing the lowest cost at all costs."

In June this year, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiankun pointed out that China has always adhered to a responsible and non-discriminatory attitude, fully considering the reasonable demands and concerns of various countries, and legally and regulation-compliantly reviewing export license applications. Considering that rare earth-related items have dual-use attributes, China has taken relevant measures based on its own dual-use item export control regulations, which conform to international practices and are not targeted at specific countries.

Guo Jiankun stated that China is willing to continue strengthening dialogue and cooperation with relevant countries and regions in the field of export control, safeguarding the World Trade Organization rules and multilateral trading system, and maintaining the stability of the global economic order.

This article is exclusive to Observer Net and may not be reprinted without permission.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7548321509157225014/

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