France among nations eyeing Australia critical minerals investment, Australian minister says

MELBOURNE, March 26 (Reuters) – France is among the countries poised to invest in Australian critical minerals projects, Australia’s resources minister said on Thursday, as Canberra’s framework deal with the U.S. prompts nations with advanced manufacturing sectors to secure access to supply. Australia has been on a four-year mission to build an industry for minerals like rare earths that are key to future technologies such as electronics and defence, as countries look to diversify their supply chain away from dominant producer China. As well as last October’s critical minerals agreement with the United States, which included an $8.5 billion pipeline…