# POSCO Chairman Urges Australia Critical Minerals Alliance to Diversify Supply

*Chang In-hwa proposed pairing Australian raw materials with South Korean refining during a bilateral summit in Adelaide as POSCO expands non-China battery supply chains.*

**Published:** September 3, 2026  
**By:** Ji-woo Han  
**Section:** Semiconductors & AI Hardware — South Korea  
**Format:** Breaking  
**Confidence:** high  
**Source:** https://eastasiabrief.com/semiconductors/posco-chairman-urges-australia-critical-minerals-alliance-diversify-supp-161  
**Publisher:** East Asia Brief (https://eastasiabrief.com/)

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## What to know

- POSCO Group Chairman Chang In-hwa proposed a bilateral critical minerals and clean energy supply chain alliance with Australia on Sept.
- The proposal came during the 47th Korea-Australia Joint Business Conference held at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, Australia.
- Australia supplies roughly 70% of the raw materials POSCO Group purchases each year, representing an annual procurement value exceeding $7 billion.

![Engineers oversee an open-pit mine and processing facility, highlighting efforts to expand critical mineral supply chains in Australia. (AI-generated image)](https://eastasiabrief.com/media/2026-09-02-d825d8f090a2.webp)
*Engineers oversee an open-pit mine and processing facility, highlighting efforts to expand critical mineral supply chains in Australia. (AI-generated image)*

POSCO Group Chairman Chang In-hwa proposed a bilateral critical minerals and clean energy supply chain alliance with Australia on Sept. 2, 2026, seeking to expand raw material sourcing beyond China.

The proposal came during the 47th Korea-Australia Joint Business Conference held at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, Australia. Chang addressed roughly 200 government officials and corporate executives as chairman of the Korean committee.

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Cite as: East Asia Brief, "POSCO Chairman Urges Australia Critical Minerals Alliance to Diversify Supply," September 3, 2026. https://eastasiabrief.com/semiconductors/posco-chairman-urges-australia-critical-minerals-alliance-diversify-supp-161