Group of Seven leaders meeting at their Evian summit in France have agreed that no single country should supply more than 60% of their imports of rare earth elements by 2030, in the most concrete collective commitment yet to reduce dependence on China’s near-monopoly over critical minerals supply chains.
Leaders also discussed introducing binding import quotas for companies in specific industrial sectors — with defence manufacturers identified as a priority given their acute exposure to Chinese supply disruptions — and pledged to establish a platform to combine recycling efforts and new mining project development. For other critical minerals beyond rare earths, G7 members committed to establishing specific diversification targets by the end of 2025.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed the alignment at the summit. “We agreed in various formats to work even more closely together on critical raw materials. We had very in-depth discussions with our guests about how we can diversify,” he told reporters.
One G7 official described critical minerals as one of the few issues on which leaders reached full agreement at a summit otherwise dominated by questions surrounding the US-Iran peace deal. Another official noted that all members were aligned on the need to reduce vulnerability to supply interruptions.
The 60% concentration cap will be challenging to meet. China imposed sweeping export controls on most critical minerals and rare earths last year, threatening manufacturing lines globally and demonstrating the leverage Beijing has accumulated through decades of investment in supply chain dominance. A 2025 IEA report found China controlled roughly 70% of refining capacity across the majority of critical minerals, rising to 85% for processed cobalt and 99% for primary gallium. Japan, despite years of diversification efforts following a 2010 export ban during a maritime border dispute, still sources approximately 75% of its rare earth imports from China. China also imposed a wide-ranging ban on dual-use products affecting Japan following a spat over Taiwan this year.
Officials acknowledged the 2030 deadline is ambitious given that many prospective mining and processing projects face funding constraints, regulatory hurdles, social opposition and technical setbacks. One official said binding quotas — at least for sectors like defence — may prove necessary to drive real change rather than voluntary commitments.
