Showing 1 - 10 of 13
Asean must grab its rare-earth shot
News, Imran Khalid, Published on 22/11/2025
» US President Donald Trump's return to Southeast Asia last month felt like a rerun -- tariffs, tough talk, and televised deals. But this time, he left behind more than headlines. From Kuala Lumpur to Hanoi, Mr Trump inked trade pacts promising tariff relief on US exports in exchange for joint ventures in mining and refining the rare-earth minerals that power the world's clean-tech boom.
China expands grip on wind energy
News, Ron Bousso, Published on 30/10/2025
» European governments seeking to expand offshore wind power are increasingly wary of Chinese companies' involvement. Countering China's dominance will be time-consuming and expensive, but political pressure and national security concerns may give the region little choice.
Rare earths are definitely China's trump card
Oped, Angela Huyue Zhang, Published on 15/08/2025
» China's weaponisation of rare earths has emerged as a major flash point in US-China trade negotiations. These critical materials, especially the high-performance magnets they make possible, are vital components in electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines, industrial robotics, and advanced defence systems. In response to China's strict rare-earths export controls, the United States has quietly lowered tariffs, relaxed export controls on AI chips, and even softened visa restrictions for Chinese students.
The scramble for the world's critical minerals
Oped, Rabah Arezki & Rick van der Ploeg, Published on 07/08/2025
» The world's superpowers have developed a seemingly insatiable appetite for the critical minerals that are essential to the ongoing energy and digital transitions, including rare-earth metals (for semiconductors), cobalt (for batteries), and uranium (for nuclear reactors). The International Energy Agency forecasts that demand for these minerals will more than quadruple by 2040 for use in clean-energy technologies alone. But, in their race to control these vital resources, China, Europe, and the United States risk causing serious harm to the countries that possess them.
US-China trade truce didn't solve rare earths riddle
Oped, Imran Khalid, Published on 27/06/2025
» Amid the swirl of headlines about a US-China trade breakthrough in London on June 11, it is reported that US President Donald Trump said the US and China had made a "great deal" -- with China agreeing to supply US companies with magnets and rare earth metals, while the US would walk back its threats to revoke visas of Chinese students.
Democracies can win tech race
Oped, Ylli Bajraktari & André Loesekrug-Pietri, Published on 04/04/2024
» The world is on the precipice of a technological cold war. As authoritarian regimes develop new digital tools that endanger open societies and threaten democratic values, the West must decide whether to compete or concede. Today, the battle for freedom is being fought in Ukraine; but the frontline could one day be in Taiwan, a global technology hub, producing the world's most advanced microchips, and a flourishing democracy less than 160 kilometres off the coast of China, which seems bent on annexing the island.
Message to despots
Oped, Postbag, Published on 02/04/2024
» Re: "Pita 'most favoured' to be next PM: poll", (BP, March 25).
Berating the bridge
Postbag, Published on 11/01/2024
» Re: "PM plugs Land Bridge in Japan", (BP, Dec 19).
Tackling populism at its roots
News, Diane Coyle, Published on 10/01/2024
» As Western democracies become increasingly polarised, rural and small-town voters are regularly pitted against their counterparts in larger urban centres. While this is not a new phenomenon -- and certainly not the only factor affecting voting patterns -- the rural-urban divide is a significant driver of today's culture wars. This dynamic, which economist Andres Rodriguez-Pose evocatively described as the "revenge of the places that don't matter", suggests that the ongoing populist surge largely reflects geographic disparities.
Crowe's soft power gift
News, Editorial, Published on 18/10/2021
» The tweeted pictures and messages about Thailand from Hollywood star Russell Crowe come at the right place and time.