The ocean floor is shaping up to be the world\u2019s next theater of global resource competition \u2014 and China is set to dominate it. The sea is believed to hold several times what land does of these rare metals, which are critical for almost all of today\u2019s electronics, clean-energy products and advanced computer chips. As countries race to cut greenhouse gas emissions, demand for these minerals is expected to skyrocket.<\/p>\n
When deep-sea mining begins, China \u2014 which already controls 95 percent of the world\u2019s supply of rare-earth metals and produces three-quarters of all lithium-ion batteries \u2014 will extend its chokehold over emerging industries like clean energy. Mining will also give Beijing a potent new tool in its escalating rivalry with the United States. As a sign of how these resources could be weaponized, China in August started restricting exports of two metals that are key to U.S. defense systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf China can take the lead in seabed mining, it really has the lock on access to all the key minerals for the 21st-century green economy,\u201d said Carla Freeman, senior expert for China at the United States Institute of Peace.<\/p>\n
In the case of polymetallic nodules, that means sending robotic vehicles as deep as 18,000 feet to the vast, dark seafloor, where they will slowly vacuum up about four inches of seabed, then pump it up to a ship.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n The ocean floor is shaping up to be the next theater of global resource competition, and China\u2019s diplomatic efforts are positioning it to lead in deep-sea mining. https:\/\/t.co\/Aa1X8xDKP8<\/a><\/p>\n — The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 20, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n