China Locks Down 36 Strategic Minerals as Australia's Pilbara Faces Twin Strike Threats, Surge Copper's Berg Project Posts C$4.6 Billion NPV, and the G7 Opens in France

The Mining Insider — June 15, 2026. Host: Logan Ore.
Today's stories:
1. China's State Council Decree 839 takes effect — 36 minerals including rare earths, lithium, cobalt, gallium and germanium formally designated as national strategic minerals under full-chain state control, with centralized mining rights, joint export review, and a three-tier reserve system.
2. Australia's Offshore Alliance extends Ichthys LNG strikes past June 23 after FWC rejection of Inpex's suspension bid; BHP's Port Hedland maintenance workers vote 90% for strike action after six months of failed bargaining — threatening the world's largest bulk export port.
3. Surge Copper releases Berg Pre-Feasibility Study: after-tax NPV of C$4.6 billion at 8% discount rate, 24% IRR — confirming Berg as one of Canada's most significant copper-molybdenum-silver critical minerals projects in British Columbia.
4. G7 summit opens in Évian-les-Bains, France (June 15-17) — Trump's AI-driven bilateral mineral pricing plan faces G7 skepticism; Japan prepares Greenland rare earth delegation.
Sources: ChemNet / Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources, Reuters / Market Screener, Daily Cargo News, Mining Stock Education, Tech Times, E&E News, Straits Times.