Who really controls critical mineral supply chains?
Who controls critical mineral supply chains? Argus explores China’s influence, western investment challenges and the future of cobalt and copper markets.
Critical minerals have become central to geopolitics, industrial policy and the energy transition. But who ultimately controls supply chains, and can western governments realistically challenge China's dominance?
In this episode, Argus battery materials reporter Chris Welch speaks with journalist and author Nicolas Niarchos, whose book The Elements of Power: A Story of War, Technology, and the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth follows cobalt, copper and other critical minerals from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the industries that depend on them.
Key topics include:
- Whether western financial systems are suited to commodity investing
- China's influence over markets and even prices
- The influence of long-term contracts in cobalt over spot markets
- The reliability of data for industrial pricing benchmarks
- Whether a focus on extraction neglects the role of surrounding infrastructure
- The challenges facing governments
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