National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia

I. А. Khoroshii, Master’s Student, Faculty of Historical and Political Studies, e-mail: khoroshiy.iar@gmail.com

Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China¹ ; Peking University, Beijing, China²

Xu Yinglu, Librarian¹, PhD Candidate², e-mail: xuyinglu@cass.org.cn

School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

Fu Zheng, Master’s Student, e-mail: fuz24@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn

School of Politics and International Relations, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

Wu Junlei, Master’s Student5, e-mail: wujl2019@163.com

Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia

I. О. Klochikhin, Master’s Student, Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, e-mail: ioklochikhin@edu.hse.ru

Institute of Entrepreneurship Technologies and Law, Saint Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation, Saint Petersburg, Russia

I. V. Dubrovtsev, M aster’s Student, e-mail: i.dubrovtsev@gmail.com

National Research Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia¹ ; Novosibirsk State Technical University, Novosibirsk, Russia²

G. V. Toropchin, Sen ior Researcher, Center for Eurasian Studies¹, Associate Dean, Faculty of Humanities², Candidate of Historical Sciences, e-mail: glebtoropchin@mail.ru

The role of the key participants of the BR ICS assoc iation (Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa) in the functioning of the global rare earth elements (REE) market is revealed. The relevance of the chosen research topic is proved by the inclusion of the issue of critically important minerals in the agenda of the BRICS summits in recent years. Based on the analysis of the most important features of this industry in each named country (resource availability, role in the international division of labor, existing opportunities and challenges), the authors conclude that the elements of a potential common technological chain are complementary and there are opportunities for cooperation in this area. An important condition for achieving this goal is t o bridge the technology gap and have the political will to concentrate the efforts of the BRICS countries as opposed to the desire to establish ties with Western partners. The recommendations for further coordination of the policy of the BRICS countries in relation to critically important minerals are substantiated. These include the adoption and implementation of an agreement on these materials, the implementation of a Joint Industrial Initiative in the field of high technology, as well as the creation of an appropriate financial architecture to facilitate joint investment in relevant projects. The data is presented to understand the initial positions of the BRICS countries, the advantages of these countries and the necessary actions to improve cooperation in this industry within the framework of the BRICS.
The paper was prepared at TSU in the framework of research 2.0.3.25 “Exploring the opportunities and risks of international scientific and technical cooperation in Russia to strengthen national security in the face of hybrid threats” under the Strategic Academic Leadership Program “Priority 2030”.
The text is the result of the XII Russian-Chinese Summer School on International Relations at the Higher School of Economics.

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