THE QUANTUM – What are you doing here?
An armed guard approaches our car. We are in the port city of Kuantan in eastern Malaysia, surrounded by chimneys.
In front of us, workers pass through the gate to the factory Lynas Advanced Materials Plant, LAMP. The guard narrows his eyes at us.
– Access is prohibited. We have camera surveillance and see everything you do.
Vigilance has its cause. This is a unique facility.
It processes rare earths, a type of metal critical in the manufacture of everything from mobile phones and AI chips to military equipment.
And it is one of the very few factories outside of China that does it.
China’s dominance has become one of the most pressing geopolitical issues of our time. The major powers are trying to ensure the availability of rare earth metals in countries and areas such as Ukraine, Congo and Greenland.
Traumatic memories
Investments are also underway in other places – including in Sweden. It was here that the metals were once discovered in a mysterious stone. And here are also Europe’s largest deposits.
The West’s hope is to reclaim an industry they once controlled. But it comes at a high price.
Malaysia can attest to that, better than most.
