France is among the countries poised to invest in Australian critical minerals projects, Australia's resources minister said on Thursday, ​as Canberra's framework deal with the U.S. prompts nations with advanced manufacturing sectors to secure access to supply…Australia has been ‌on a four-year mission to build an industry for minerals like rare earths that are key to future technologies such as electronics and defence, as countries look to diversify their supply chain away from dominant producer China…As well as last October's critical minerals agreement with the United States, which included an $8.5 billion pipeline of investments, Australia has ​inked agreements for sector cooperation with Japan, South Korea, India, France, Germany and Britain…"Since the framework agreement with the U.S., that work ​has taken on new urgency from some other partners as they make sure they also have access to critical ⁠minerals," Australian Resources Minister Madeleine King told Reuters in an interview during the Minerals Week summit in Canberra…France has engaged at a policy and financing framework level, including through export credit agency Bpifrance Assurance Export, but unlike the U.S. and Japan ​has not yet announced large-scale project funding for Australian critical minerals…Australia is seeking billions of dollars more in investment for 49 mining projects and 29 midstream processing projects for a growing critical minerals sector that is forecast to produce A$18 billion ($12.52 billion) of ​export earnings in the financial year starting on July 1…"Many other countries just aren't used to getting involved in mining and mining-style financing, but they're going to have to, if they want to ...have that secure supply," King said…"If you want to compare timelines, ​it took (China) 40 years," she said. "We ⁠would like to do it quicker. But we do need to think of it as a long-term proposition."

At a moment of mounting geopolitical instability, and as the U.S. conducts major military operations in the Middle East and confronts fragile global supply chains, critical minerals have moved to the center of national security planning…In early February, Washington hosted the Critical Minerals Ministerial, bringing together 54 countries from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Democratic Republic of Congo was invited as a key partner. Rwanda was not…At the summit, Vice President JD Vance warned that global mineral markets remain “brittle and exceptionally concentrated.” The administration announced FORGE, a new allied coordination framework for critical mineral supply chains, and launched Project Vault, a $12 billion strategic reserve designed to shield the U.S. economy from external shocks. The objective is clear: reduce dependence on China and secure materials essential to America’s defense industrial base…The Democratic Republic of Congo produces roughly 70 percent of the world’s cobalt, making it the most important source of a mineral essential to batteries, advanced electronics and military technologies. Eastern Congo is also a major source of so-called the 3T minerals — tantalum, tin and tungsten — that are critical to semiconductors, aerospace components and advanced weapons systems. A single F-35 fighter jet requires hundreds of kilograms of specialty minerals for avionics and targeting systems. Nearly four-fifths of the U.S. Department of Defense’s weapons systems — and more than 90 percent of U.S. Navy systems — depend on supply chains heavily influenced by China…Instability in eastern Congo has produced a structural alignment between China’s dominance in mineral refining and Rwanda’s role as a regional export hub for minerals flowing eastward. A fragmented Congolese state, lacking full control over key mining zones, lets mineral access be shaped by armed actors and informal networks rather than transparent sovereign authority…Washington itself has begun acknowledging the strategic implications. This month, the U.S. imposed official sanctions against Rwanda, signaling growing recognition that instability in eastern Congo intersects with global competition over critical mineral supply chains…What has historically altered regional dynamics is a shift in the balance of power on the ground. Recent battlefield developments illustrate this point. Private military contractors from U.S. and Israeli companies have supported Congolese operations in eastern Congo, including efforts that helped Kinshasa’s forces regain control of the strategic city of Uvira in South Kivu…Eastern Congo is emerging as another arena of geopolitical competition between the United States and China, alongside theaters such as Venezuela or Iran.

China Minmetals Corporation (CMC), the indirect majority shareholder of MMG, is seeking to acquire new mining permits in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after a March 24, 2026 meeting in Beijing with Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba…Discussions focused on expanding the group’s operations in the country, the ministry said. China Minmetals also expressed interest in technical collaboration with the National Geological Service to accelerate the identification of new deposits…During the meeting, the minister outlined the DRC’s strategic priorities, emphasizing geological research, local processing of mineral resources, job creation, and greater Congolese participation in the mining value chain…The ministry said the meeting supports a model based on productive investment, local value addition, and the sustainable development of the mining sector.