Over the past decade, China has acquired nearly as many foreign mining and refining assets for critical raw materials as the European Union and the United States combined, according to new data. A recent analysis by LSE data provider, reported by the “Handelsblatt”, reveals that Chinese companies completed a total of 95 mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals between 2015 and 2025. This figure represents approximately 1.5 times the number of acquisitions made by US companies (59) and more than double the number completed by EU firms (45).
Experts express concern that these investments are solidifying China’s already prominent position in global raw material supply chains. Jürgen Matthes of the German Economic Institute (IW) stated the data “clearly demonstrates a continuing lack of resolve and implementation capacity within the EU and Germany.
Since the beginning of 2025, six overseas acquisitions by Chinese companies in the raw materials sector have already been announced. European firms, in contrast, have completed only three deals in the same period. This trend continued throughout 2023 and 2024, with Chinese transaction volumes approximately double those of European companies. Notably, foreign investment “into” China itself within this sector remains minimal. Between 2015 and 2025, only three acquisitions were made by foreign entities, all originating from US companies. Chinese buyers are particularly active in Australia, Indonesia and Canada.
Responding to these developments, EU Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné has pledged to accelerate EU projects focused on the mining and processing of rare earth elements. He announced in the “Handelsblatt” that “new tenders will be issued this year” to encourage such developments.