Kyodo News: Japan, US, India, and Australia Join Forces to Build Critical Mineral Supply Chains to Counter China's Dominance
Kyodo News reported on July 2 that the foreign ministers of Japan, the United States, Australia, and India held a "Quad" meeting in Washington on July 1, announcing their collaboration to establish a critical mineral supply network to weaken China's dominant position in strategic resources such as rare earths. Japanese Foreign Minister Kishida revealed that the four countries expressed "serious concerns" about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea in the joint statement, emphasizing "opposition to any unilateral actions that change the status quo through force or coercion," directly targeting China.
This meeting was the second Quad foreign ministers' meeting since the start of Trump's second term government. The four countries plan to build a "de-Chinaized" supply chain for critical minerals such as rare earths and semiconductors by integrating resources and technology. In 2021, China accounted for as much as 60% of global rare earth processing capacity, while the four countries are accelerating the layout of alternatives: Australia has pledged 50 million Australian dollars (about 241 million yuan) to support clean energy supply chain projects, while India has invested 2 million US dollars (about 14.02 million yuan) in solar energy projects in the Pacific Islands. US Secretary of State Rubio stated that this move aims to "ensure economic security from coercion," but did not directly mention China.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly criticized the Quad for "pretending to maintain order while actually engaging in group confrontation," emphasizing that external countries should stop "fanning the flames."
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836481449270282/
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