Toward Decline
China’s stranglehold on critical minerals exposes a terrifying threat to Western defence - news24.com.au
GNews: critical minerals·2026-08-16China EconomyP1: Resource SovereigntyP3: Industrial BaseP5: Strategic Decoupling
Why it matters
Australia's defence industrial base and AUKUS capability depend on rare earths, battery materials, and processing inputs dominated by China. China's stranglehold on critical minerals undermines Australian resource sovereignty and forces a strategic choice: accelerate domestic or allied processing capacity, or accept dependency that could be weaponised during a crisis.
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