China: The mineral superpower
May 26, 2025•17 min
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Episode description
The country dominates the global processing of critical minerals - materials essential to clean energy, defence, and modern manufacturing.
In the second part of our series on the global race to secure these resources, we explore how China built its control over the supply chain, from strategic state investment to partnerships abroad.
We also head to Indonesia, where Chinese firms are leading the charge in nickel processing. Has one country gained too much power over the world’s green transition?
Presenter: Sam Fenwick Producer: Lexy O’Connor
(Image: Labourers work at the site of a rare earth metals mine at Nancheng county, Jiangxi province in 2010. Credit: Getty Images)
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