The United Kingdom is locked in a global race to supply the rare metals essential to making combat aircraft, wind turbines and electric cars, amid fears that China will use its monopoly on this wealth as a weapon.

In a report published in the British newspaper "The Times", writer Larissa Brown said that security agencies are concerned about the future growing competition for scarce natural resources, and Beijing's control over supplies that could be used as a means of imposing influence in any conflict.

China dominates the world’s production of rare metals, known as "industrial gold" because they are vital to defense industries and technology, while they are difficult to extract and process.

The majority of the rare metals used by British industries are processed in China, according to experts who have warned that this dependence could put supply chains for national security and the economy at risk.

The integrated review of Britain's foreign and defense policy, published last month, has adopted rare metals as a security concern, indicating that the country needs to diversify its supplies of basic commodities and conclude agreements to keep vital commodity trade open in times of crisis.

The government is sponsoring a deep-sea mining project implemented by UK Seabed Resources, a subsidiary of US defense company Lockheed Martin, in the UK division.

According to Chris Williams, General Manager of UK Seabed Resources, the danger is that China is using its position in the supply chain to pressure other economies, at a time when the UK has no reliable alternatives.

He added that there are concerns about weak supply chains for national security and the wider economy.

Rare metals are a group of 17 minerals that form under the Earth's surface (European News Agency)

The importance of trace minerals

Rare metals, a group of 17 minerals that form beneath the Earth's surface, are essential for batteries used by automobile manufacturers such as Tesla and Ford (ford), and for the production of wind turbines, solar panels, fiber-optic cables and guidance systems for missiles, ships and submarines.

As part of the Pacific Ocean exploration project, scientists are investigating the possibility of extracting mineral-rich nodules the size of a tennis ball that could save millions of tons of copper, nickel, manganese, cobalt, and rare metals.

Countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Belgium, Germany and France are participating in similar projects in the Pacific.

Figures last year showed that China accounts for 58.33% of global production of rare metals, not to mention that about 95% of the world's ore processing takes place in China.

A report by Dr. Dwayne Ryan Menezes of the Polar Research and Policy Initiative warned that severe restrictions on the supply of rare metals could severely affect British and American defense and space companies.

According to Williams, it is hoped that by 2030 the Pacific exploration project will produce the equivalent of 3 million tons of nodules annually which will contain enough rare minerals to meet the local demand in the United Kingdom and more.

A spokesperson for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said, "We are committed to making the UK a world leader in battery technology, and this includes exploring opportunities around domestic extraction and processing of important rare metals."

China dominates world production of rare metals (Reuters)

Beyond the story

The author explained that rare metals are "industrial gold" because they are necessary for many vital industries, and their mining and processing are difficult and expensive, and they consist of 17 minerals that form under the surface of the earth, including cerium, neodymium, terbium and erbium.

China is the largest producer of rare metals, but other countries are in the race to explore for it on the ocean floor after reserves of mineral deposits were found in sediments at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

All cell phones, televisions, and computers use rare metals as magnets for amplifiers and hard drives. Rare metal magnets are also found in more than 90% of hybrid and electric cars' engines and their braking systems.

They are also used in the manufacture of wind turbines, solar panels and lighting, and the army also relies heavily on them, where rare metals are needed to produce guidance systems for missiles, lasers, ships and submarines.