The coalition is the west’s answer to China’s control of minerals that are critical to the energy transition...

China’s leaders are now in cleanup mode to stabilize the two biggest drags on the economy — the housing slump and weak local government finances. That’s perhaps the easiest way to understand the flurry of policy moves emanating from Beijing these days. The latest salvo came on Saturday, when Finance Minister Lan Fo’an held a closely watched briefing to unveil plans to allow local governments to sell bonds to swap debts and use special bonds to buy unsold homes, along with other measures. Investors who were looking for a big bazooka stimulus figure didn’t get one, leaving markets puzzled. With fiscal plans needing approval from the legislature, those expectations may have been off the mark to begin with. But economists say it’s the tone of the policy switch rather than any big number that really matters, and on that front, they’re encouraged....

China dominates supply chains for materials that are key for defense, electric vehicles and nuclear power...

A key concern for mining leaders is China’s shifting economy and the domino effect on supply and demand for critical minerals....

President Joe Biden is spending the final months of his term tightening the screws on China, capping an approach that has seen him carry out a difficult juggling act in office to counter the world’s second largest economy. That effort will be on display this weekend as Biden hosts the Quad Leaders Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, bringing Prime Ministers Narendra Modi of India, Fumio Kishida of Japan and Anthony Albanese of Australia to his hometown....

A new report from the Department of Labor raises tough questions about whether and to what extent forced labor and child labor are intertwined with climate-friendly technology. The department released a report this month finding that several minerals that are key components of electric vehicles and solar panels may be produced through these unethical labor practices. The findings point to major ethical quandaries surrounding the ongoing energy transition. Climate change, if not addressed, endangers many of the world’s most vulnerable people. At the same time, the report raises serious human rights concerns about the technology being used to address it....

Washington’s support for a minerals train connecting the DRC to the Atlantic illustrates its desire to compete with China...

And for now, the United States has few other options....

Can the technology give Washington the edge in a vital and deeply competitive industry?...

Years of Chinese investment have transformed Jakarta into a nickel powerhouse. But that support has come at a price....

Thousands of miles west of Washington, D.C., in the sprawling, lithium-rich expanses of Nevada, the Biden administration is pushing for a mining boom that it hopes will boost the country’s energy security....

President Joe Biden took the US crackdown on what American officials say are unfair trade practices employed by China a step further in early May. After a review of the increased tariffs his predecessor, Donald Trump, imposed on Chinese imports, the Biden administration said it would maintain those and add more of its own. Both administrations have justified the moves by saying China’s industrial and trade policies put US competitors at a disadvantage....