Malaysia’s Renewed License for Lynas Raises Questions on Radioactive Waste Promise

In a move that spotlights the complex balance between economic interests and environmental safety, Malaysia has renewed Australian miner Lynas Rare Earths' operating license for another ten years. While this decision supports strategic diversification away from China’s dominance in rare earth minerals—crucial for U.S. and allied high-tech industries—it also renews scrutiny over unresolved radioactive waste issues at the plant in Pahang. Is Malaysia Betting on Technology to Shield National and Regional Security? The Malaysian government's condition that Lynas must cease producing radioactive waste by 2031 hinges on unproven technologies like thorium extraction and other neutralization methods still years from industrial...