ust as oil shaped the geopolitics in the 20th Century, critical minerals have come to define the new frontier of economic value, determining which nations lead the clean energy transition. The history of human development has always been closely associated with the quest for gold, oil and land. It is now developing into a rush for minerals on which the clean energy future of the world will depend.

In the fast-changing global economy, the high-value sectors, especially those that are anchored on technology, have gained a central role in economic resilience, transformation of industries and strategic competitiveness.

Lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earths are no longer mere commodities; they are strategic facilitators of the global clean energy transition as they have become the basis of technologies including electric mobility, renewable generation and mass battery storage.

Lithium and rare earths supply chains are redrawing the global influence map. From the Lithium Triangle of South America to China’s mineral refineries and Africa’s cobalt belts, nations are racing to secure the building blocks of the clean energy economy.

The world is witnessing a new geopolitical alignment not over barrels of crude oil, but over ever more efficient batteries. To diversify supply and reduce dependence on single sources, countries are competing to dominate the EV battery supply chain, leveraging critical minerals for industrial development. Their core position in the formation of industrial competitiveness and national energy security is highlighted by the........

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