美国领导的一批国家正在探索通过设立的一项金融网络来筹集资金，以支持更多矿产项目开发，旨在对抗中国在金属供应链中的主导地位。自2022年合作机制成立以来，该网络已为13个项目提供了支持，并计划进一步优化流程以推动更多的项目落地。约瑟·费南德兹（Jose Fernandez），作为美国经济成长、能源与环境副国务卿，向《彭博社》表示。
该合作框架汇集了包括国际开发金融公司和美国出口-进口银行在内的14个国家（主要为西方国家）及欧盟的发展金融机构和出口信贷机构的力量。在金属价格出现下跌的情况下，这些机构将与私营部门合作，为额外的32个项目提供资金支持。
费南德兹强调：“若能在接下来的一年半时间里成功实施一半以上的项目，那将是理想的情况。”他指出，“如果我们可以加快进程并完成一半目标，这将会是巨大的成就。”
该合作伙伴关系的目标旨在对抗中国对关键矿物供应的控制。这些矿物对于技术、清洁能源应用及导弹导航系统等高科技领域至关重要。
近期推动这一举措的主要动力之一是为了提速审批流程。费南德兹解释道：“公司们告诉我们他们正失去在竞标中赢得项目的机会，主要是因为他们在处理文书工作时遇到困难。我们迫切需要加速这项努力，因为我们正在与时间赛跑。”
为了应对中国公司在锂、钴等矿产领域倾销产品、导致价格下跌的同时市场需求增长的情况，费南德兹表示，快速的种子融资至关重要。然而，在短期内，虽然这种低价格可能使电池和高科技设备制造商受益，但从长远来看却会抑制新矿物来源的开发。
“在长期内，我们已经建立了一种依赖过度供应的状况，正如历史上所证明的那样，这将带来后遗症。”费南德兹说。因此，合作机构内的金融与信贷实体需要简化项目的审批流程，并通过国家间的协调以避免重复工作和对同一项目过度集中。
他表示：“我们应该合理利用资源，而不是同时追逐同一只‘猎物’。”
这个由美国领导的国际伙伴网络将致力于加快审批速度、优化协作机制以避免资源浪费，最终目标是确保在全球范围内建立多元化的矿物供应链体系。
新闻来源：www.bloomberg.com
原文地址：Minerals Security Partnership Mulls Funding More Projects to Counter China
新闻日期：2024-09-24
原文摘要：
A US-led coalition of countries is looking at funding more minerals projects using a financing network aimed at combating China’s dominance of metal supply chains.The has already announced support for 13 projects since the collaboration began in 2022 and it’s looking to streamline efforts to turn more into reality, Jose Fernandez, a top official, told Bloomberg. He said development finance and export credit agencies from 14 mostly western nations and the European Union will work with private industry to fund the additional 32 projects amid a downturn in prices for key metals. “If we can get half of those done in another year and a half, it’ll be great,” said Fernandez, who is under secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment.The partnership was created to counter Chinese control of mineral supplies deemed essential for technology and clean energy applications. China controls much of the world’s processing of used in a range of goods including electric vehicles and wind turbines to missile guidance systems.One of the drivers behind the latest move is a desire to speed up approvals, according to Fernandez.“Companies are telling us they’re losing out on tenders — they’re losing out on projects because they complain about the paperwork,” he said. “We need to supercharge this effort because we’re running against the time crunch.”Quicker seed financing was needed to combat Chinese companies that have flooded the market with minerals such as lithium and cobalt and caused prices to fall despite rising demand, Fernandez said. He said the low prices benefit manufacturers of batteries and hi-tech equipment in the short term, but discourage development of new sources of the minerals.“In the long term, we’ve created an over-dependence on oversupply that, as we’ve learned in history, will come back to bite you,” he said.Finance and credit institutions from the group, which includes the International Development Finance Corp. and the US Export-Import Bank, will streamline the process for approving projects while countries will also coordinate to avoid duplication of work and targeting the same projects.“We shouldn’t all be chasing the same dog,” he said.
