Europe, US drift away from Chinese fluorspar
By MICHAEL GREENFIELD
Published: Monday, 02 September 2019
The consequences of China’s environmental inspections crippled supplies of fluorspar to the rest of the world in 2018, and the material now comes at a premium although quality and delivery are not guaranteed. Michael Greenfield examines how European and US consumers of the mineral are looking elsewhere to secure their supply chains.
China has dictated the global minerals markets for almost three decades, thanks to its production dominance in many raw materials sectors. But its focus has now switched from mining to the value-added section of the supply chain for many of the minerals it exports in large quantities.
The country has...