The elements of the periodic table that revolutionised chemistry as a scientific field more than 150 years ago are now at the heart of a momentous modern commercial and geopolitical battle.
The contest is playing out from corporate boardrooms planning mining megadeals to US efforts to form a “critical minerals” trade zone to counter China’s influence.
Dozens of the world’s nearly 100 naturally occurring elements are in growing demand for crucial industrial uses, making their supply expensive, prone to shortages or vulnerable to international tensions.
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