UK signs deal to help hi-tech factories break free of China’s materials stranglehold

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Western countries are struggling to break China’s stranglehold on critical minerals that are vital for making hi-tech goods like phones, electric vehicles and wind turbines

Britain’s hi-tech factories will have to rely less on China after a deal signed with Saudi Arabia this week.

Minerals such as lithium, graphite and cobalt are used in making electric vehicles, navigation systems, wind turbines and solar panels, as well as mobile phones.

But Western countries are struggling to break China ’s stranglehold on critical minerals that are vital for making hi-tech goods.

Industry minister Sarah Jones inked the deal during a trip to Saudi capital Riyadh this week.

“Over the last 50 years energy security has been dominated by oil and gas,” she said.

“In the next 50 years it’s going to be dominated by critical minerals and we’ve got to be front and centre if we want to deliver growth in the economy and good jobs.”

The agreement will see the UK work with Saudi Arabia to establish and monitor stable supply chains for the materials – ensuring minerals delivered to the UK aren’t mined using forced or child labour.

But Ms Jones said supplies were only part of the challenge.

“There’s a real problem with where we process minerals. It tends to be done in a small number of countries,” she said.

“We have an over reliance on some countries for some things – a huge amount of processing is done at the moment in China.”

She also said Britain is “rubbish” at recycling these essential components, and needed to improve.

It comes ahead of the government’s Critical Minerals Strategy, to be published later this year.