“A country that calls for foreign capital to participate in its commercial development yet arbitrarily forces investors to withdraw in the name of national interest is seriously damaging its own investment environment,” Chen said.

　　Northern Minerals has been the subject of several Australian government interventions in recent years regarding its shareholder base, with the first in 2024 requiring five Chinese parties to dispose of their shares in the miner on “national interest” grounds, Reuters reported.

　　Some ⁠of those parties at the time sold to a related party, Hong Kong-based investor Ying Tak, Reuters reported. Treasurer Chalmers placed an interim order in April on Ying Tak, which restricted it ⁠from voting at Northern Minerals" annual meeting and selling its shares, according to the report.

　　From the industrial perspective, Australia’s act of pushing critical mineral cooperation toward securitization and politics harms not only Chinese enterprises’ legitimate interests but also its own industrial development opportunities, ultimately exacerbating the fragility of the global supply chain, Chen added.

　　“The rare earths industrial chain is an extremely complex and integrated system. Countries around the world should strengthen cooperation, stabilize development expectations, and improve relevant rules,” Chen said.

　　In recent years, Western countries, including Australia, have engaged in effort to reduce so‑called rare earth dependence on China.

　　Commenting on a question claiming that G7 finance ministers reached an agreement in January calling for a reduction in dependence on China for rare earths, Mao Ning, spokesperson from China"s Foreign Ministry, told a press conference that China"s position on maintaining the stability and security of global critical mineral supply chains remains unchanged.