en.Wedoany.com Reported - Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) announced a new initiative in June 2026 aimed at strengthening critical mineral supply chains, expanding reserves, and reducing dependence on foreign minerals. The G7 noted that these minerals are the cornerstone of modern economies, defense systems, manufacturing, energy infrastructure, and artificial intelligence.
The security of critical mineral supply chains has become a strategic priority for major global economies. According to the International Energy Agency's (IEA) 2025 "Critical Minerals Market Review," global demand for critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earths nearly tripled between 2020 and 2025, while the highly concentrated supply chain structure in a few countries has not fundamentally changed.
This new G7 initiative is the latest effort by the United States to push allies to reduce dependence on countries like China for critical minerals. According to the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) "Mineral Commodity Summaries" released in January 2026, the United States is completely reliant on imports for 17 critical minerals, with import dependence exceeding 50% for more than 20 others. Several domestic mining projects in the U.S. are considered to have the potential to supply many of the critical minerals needed by the country and its allies.
The G7's long-term goal requires more than just expanding reserves; supply chain security ultimately depends on developing projects to produce critical minerals. According to 2025 data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the concentration in global critical mineral processing is extremely high, with China accounting for over 90% of global rare earth refining output, more than 70% of cobalt processing, and over 60% of lithium processing.
Analysts point out that this new G7 initiative marks the elevation of critical mineral supply chain security from an industrial issue to a geostrategic one. However, it will still take a considerable period to move from project development to scaled supply, and the global critical mineral supply landscape is unlikely to undergo fundamental changes in the short term.
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