It aims to lower their high dependency on China, which mines about 70 per cent of the world’s supply and refines some 90 per cent
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenKyodoPublished: 7:58pm, 1 Apr 2026Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on Wednesday to design a road map for critical minerals supply as they seek to deepen cooperation in the sector amid China’s dominance of global rare earths.
They also expressed “serious concerns” over controls on critical mineral exports, in an apparent reference to China’s stricter export regulations, a move widely seen as the nation’s coercive use of economic levers.
Calling France a “special partner sharing values and principles”, Takaichi said, “Amid an increasingly severe international security environment, cooperation with like-minded countries has never been more important for the peace and prosperity of our nations and the region.”
Rare earths are essential for manufacturing hi-tech products including electric vehicles, semiconductors and cutting-edge weapons.
