Governments are rushing to hoard critical minerals as the ‘resource nationalism’ era arrives

By Lee Ying Shan – CNBC

A new race to secure critical minerals is unfolding across the global economy.

From Washington’s proposed $12 billion Project Vault stockpile to expanding buffers in Asia and the European Union, governments are moving to secure access to metals increasingly viewed as essential to national security and industrial policy.

“In metals and minerals is where the newest wave of stockpiling is most visible,” said Patrick Schröder, senior research fellow at Chatham House. Governments are seeking to reduce exposure to concentrated supply chains and export controls, he said.