(Reuters) -The European Union ​plans to set ‌up a central authority to ‌coordinate buying and stockpiling of critical minerals to keep the U.S.⁠ ‌from securing supplies “under our noses,‍” industry chief Stéphane Séjourné said on Wednesday.

In ​an interview, ‌Séjourné told the Financial Times newspaper that the EU had become “collateral damage” in ⁠a U.​S.-China ​dispute over rare earths, which are ‍vital ⁠for defence and clean technologies.

(Reporting by ⁠Rajveer Singh Pardesi in ‌Bengaluru; Editing by ‌Clarence Fernandez)