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China has invested over $120 billion in overseas mining and mineral processing projects since 2023, Australian think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF) has reported. The investments primarily targeted lithium, copper, nickel and rare earths, critical minerals essential for clean energy and decarbonization technologies. However, whereas these investments have helped boost clean energy industries in developing countries, they have raised serious concerns, including debt risks. Read more

A new Climate Energy Finance report shows the scale of the push. Since 2023, China has committed more than US$120 billion in outbound investment across critical minerals and metals. From lithium in Zimbabwe to nickel processing in Indonesia and iron ore infrastructure in Guinea, Chinese capital is moving with deliberate intent across the Global South. The aim is not simply to secure raw materials. It is to lock in the feedstock, processing capacity, and industrial partnerships needed for batteries, electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, and green industrial commodities. Read more

Australia’s electricity regulator, as reported by ABC Illawarra, has announced a lower default market offer, reducing benchmark power prices as […] Read more

A ‘dig-and ship’ approach to mining and lack of domestic manufacturing has left Australia far too exposed to China, a new report warns. The report from independent think-tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF) examines China’s move to dominate key minerals markets and reduce supply risks; click here to read the full report. The report’s lead author is Tim Buckley, CEF Director and former managing director of global investment bank Citigroup. “Australia is sitting on some of the world’s most strategically valuable resources at precisely the moment the global economy is re-organising itself around them but sitting on them is all we are doing,” he says. Read more

China has invested over $120bn in overseas mining and mineral processing projects since 2023, according to a new report from the Australian think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF). The report indicates that these investments, primarily in lithium, rare earths, nickel, and other critical minerals for clean energy technologies, have contributed to the expansion of clean energy industries in developing countries. Chinese firms are engaging with host governments to develop processing facilities and related infrastructure, such as ports, in exchange for long-term resource access and agreements to purchase output from energy projects. Read more

Tim Buckley, energy analyst and director of the think tank Climate Energy Finance, can see an argument for restricting EV subsidies to cheaper models, but is appalled at reports the treasurer is backpedalling from a proposal to limit diesel subsidies used by big miners. Buckley, alongside climate groups and Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Mining, has been calling for the government to cap subsidies on diesel used by big mining companies and return the saved revenue to the same businesses to help them electrify their operations. His analysis shows the largest beneficiary of the fuel tax rebate has been BHP followed by Rio Tinto. Read more

Tim Buckley from Climate Energy Finance warns that China shift puts Australia’s critical minerals exports at risk. He says China’s strategic pivot on critical minerals presents a growing long‑term risk for Australia’s export engine. Buckley notes that structural demand for lithium, rare earths, copper and nickel is rising as the energy transition accelerates, yet China – the world’s largest buyer – is rapidly securing new mining and processing supply offshore. He highlights iron ore as a particular concern, arguing that China’s US$23 billion investment in Guinea for an additional 120 million tonnes of higher‑grade iron ore, alongside steel demand peaking in 2020, poses a structural threat to Australia’s dominant, but lower‑grade, export position. Read more

Australia faces economic and energy pressures as China diversifies from reliance on its natural resources, investing $120 billion in supply chains across Africa and South America. Despite record trade, Australia risks overdependence on China. Disruptions to Qatar’s gas exports may push LNG prices up, benefiting multinationals and potentially the federal budget. Key resources like lithium, copper, and rare earths are vital for EVs and energy storage, prompting calls for stronger domestic energy security and renewable production. Read more

New CEF report warns Australias dig-and-ship economy faces a clear and present threat as China systematically diversifies away from Australian supply across lithium, iron ore and critical minerals A major new report released today by independent think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF) – Raw Power: China locks-in global dominance of critical minerals and metals with $120bn outbound investment surge – finds that China’s accelerating outbound resource investment program is reducing China’s supply chain risks and locking-in its global dominance of key materials as it diversifies away from its dependence on Australian exports. This presents a clear and present economic risk to Australia, particularly as we have yet to find a structure to allow our world leading mining sector to move meaningfully beyond “dig-and-ship”. Read more

The shuttering of a WA lithium refinery after just four years should serve as a warning as China pumps more than $160 billion into overseas critical minerals and metals endeavours. US company Albemarle shut up shop at its South West lithium refinery in February, citing its struggle to compete with China’s low-cost production. Climate Energy Finance director Tim Buckley said its closure was a consequence of China’s strategic diversification to boost critical minerals and clean tech capacity. Read more

A major new report released 19 March 2026, by independent think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF) – Raw Power: China locks-in global dominance of critical minerals and metals with $120bn outbound investment surge – finds that China’s accelerating outbound resource investment program is reducing China’s supply chain risks and locking in its global dominance of key materials as it diversifies away from its dependence on Australian exports. This presents a clear and present economic risk to Australia, particularly as we have yet to find a structure to allow our world leading mining sector to move meaningfully beyond “dig-and-ship”. Read more

Mr Buckley has co-authored a report on China’s evolving strategy to entrench its dominance in lithium, copper, nickel, rare earths and other elements of the low carbon supply chain. The Asian powerhouse has invested heavily in domestic mining and manufacturing capacity as well as launched a comprehensive foreign investment strategy targeted at the Global South. Read more