EU seeks closer Vietnam ties on critical minerals in China hedge, documents show

The European Union is seeking to secure more critical minerals from Vietnam to reduce reliance on China, internal EU documents say. They recommend financial support for Vietnam’s mining and processing industry to maintain and expand access to tungsten, bismuth, antimony and titanium, citing concerns that competition from partner countries could disrupt EU supplies.

The documents urge EU institutions to pursue concrete outcomes during Vietnamese leader To Lam’s expected visit to Brussels next week. The European Commission said it is assessing the potential for cooperation with Vietnam in the critical raw materials sector. Proposed support includes loans, grants, technical assistance and export-credit insurance; the documents also flag regulatory and political hurdles, limited transparency about China’s involvement and technology-transfer requirements.

Vietnam’s exports to the EU have largely been limited to tungsten and antimony, which are used in the defence sector. The documents describe risks to EU supplies from a failed plan involving entities from Australia, the U.S. and Canada to acquire a majority stake in Vietnam’s largest tungsten operation, owned by Masan High-Tech Materials. They also warn that a rare-earth project involving Australia’s Lynas Rare Earths and South Korea’s LS Eco Energy could leave the EU behind.