Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson says he constantly hears from other countries that want to buy critical minerals from Canada, and that is presenting the country with an opportunity for economic growth…“At the G7 (meeting this month in Alberta), all the countries said they wanted to buy Canadian critical minerals,” he said at a Toronto Region Board of Trade event on Wednesday. “Right now, at the NATO summit, what the prime minister is hearing is that all those countries want to buy our critical minerals. This is an opportunity for us.”…Hodgson said Canada needs to ensure it mines critical minerals, but also builds processing facilities so that it can share in some of the wealth created by products made from what it mines. The federal government is focused on ensuring Canada builds major projects quickly and responsibly, he added…Hodgson said Canada is standing at a unique moment in its history that is defined by “instability.” Supply chains are “being ripped apart,” climate change is advancing and Canada is in the midst of a “devastating trade war” with the United States, its closest trading partner.

Two weeks after China promised the U.S. it would ease the exports of rare-earth magnets, Chinese authorities are dragging out approval of Western companies’ requests for the critical components, a situation that could reignite trade tensions between Washington and Beijing…Western companies say they are receiving barely enough magnets for their factories and have little visibility of future supplies. Firms are waiting weeks as Chinese authorities scrutinize their applications—only to be rejected in some cases. And applications for raw rare earths, which are used to make magnets, are rarely granted.

Chinese automakers are pushing to unlock Africa's underdeveloped potential, with a focus on electric and hybrid vehicles, as restrictions on exports to the United States and Europe send them on a global quest for new markets…Though home to over a billion people, low incomes and high import duties have long hampered manufacturers' efforts to sell more cars in Africa. Unreliable power availability and a lack of charging infrastructure have meanwhile held back EV uptake…But companies including BYD Chery Auto and Great Wall Motor (GWM) are aiming to leverage low prices to advance where others have struggled and use an expansion in South Africa as a stepping stone in a continent-wide strategy…Nearly half of the 14 Chinese automotive brands currently active in South Africa launched only last year…And as new players move in, more established companies are looking into producing cars locally, allowing them to benefit from a government incentive programme offering rebates for domestically made vehicles…Chinese carmakers, which are in the midst of a rapid switch to EVs and hybrid production, are facing growing obstacles in the U.S. and Europe…Growth of new EV sales has been slower than expected in many wealthy markets. And the EU's hefty duties on imports of Chinese-made EVs and 100% tariffs in the United States have erased their primary competitive advantage: price. Efforts to push into large emerging markets like India and Brazil have also proven to be complicated…South African sales of so-called new energy vehicles - a class including traditional and plug-in hybrids along with EVs - more than doubled from 2023 to last year, accounting for 3% share of total new vehicle sales…Chinese automakers face consumer skepticism over quality, spare parts availability and the untested resale value of their vehicles…But they are counting on price and advanced technology setting them apart from Africa's traditional market leaders and are focusing on offering plug-in hybrids and EVs with a starting price of under 400,000 rand ($22,500).

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to release billions of dollars allocated for the construction of electric vehicle charging stations in over a dozen US states…In a ruling Tuesday, US District Judge Tana Lin granted a preliminary injunction to require distribution of funds for National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) development, which was allotted $5 billion for use from 2022 to 2026…Signed into law by then-president Joe Biden in 2021, the NEVI program was defunded by the Trump administration's Department of Transportation in February, axing expected funding for 16 states and the District of Columbia…President Donald Trump has repeatedly called climate change a "hoax," abandoned electric vehicle booster programs and campaigned to drill for oil extensively.