Russian Foreign Minister: Russia Notes African Countries' Willingness to Stop Being Raw Material Vassals

¬ U.S. Business Lobby Group: Eliminating Critical Mineral Supply Issues in the Next Three Years Remains Very Difficult

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia has observed African nations’ desire not to remain raw material vassals of global corporations, and Moscow is willing to assist in this regard.

Lavrov emphasized that the world is witnessing a "second awakening of Africa." At this moment, countries across the African continent are asserting their wish to become "masters of their own natural resources."

Speaking at the beginning of his meeting with Bankele Adio, Commissioner for Political Affairs and Peace and Security of the African Union Commission, in Moscow, Lavrov said: "Against the backdrop of profound changes and turbulence on the global stage, we see African peoples striving to maximize the use of nature’s gifts to benefit their own people, rather than continuing to serve as raw material vassals of global enterprises."

Lavrov pointed out that this includes establishing domestic industries.

He concluded: "Our country possesses extensive experience in assisting African nations in building national industries and agriculture. Now is precisely the right time to leverage this experience under new conditions."

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According to Reuters, the U.S. business lobbying group "National Committee on U.S.-China Relations" stated on Wednesday that obtaining critical minerals from China remains difficult due to export controls and delays in license approvals. Beijing's restrictions have prompted three-quarters of affected companies to seek alternative supply sources.

The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations reported in a statement that certain rare earth elements remain "almost unobtainable."

Based on its annual member survey conducted in February and March, the committee said: "Despite some progress, confidence in long-term access to (critical minerals) remains low."

According to its survey, among 38 affected companies, 29% reported actively shifting toward non-Chinese suppliers of critical minerals, while 47% said they were searching but had not yet found viable alternatives to Chinese sources.

Sean Stein, President of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, stated that eliminating supply issues within the next three years remains extremely challenging.

Stein noted that American companies still face difficulties in obtaining samarium-cobalt magnets crucial for high-temperature aerospace and defense applications, as well as minerals such as yttrium and cadmium.

Kyle Sullivan, Vice President of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, said that since China controls both the mining and processing of rare earths, obtaining finished rare earth magnets—not just raw rare earth ores—is a major challenge.

Source: sputniknews

Original: toutiao.com/article/1867681240637572/

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