[China to reach 6 billion discarded mobile phones by 2025, providing a largely untapped source of rare metals] China, the world’s largest smartphone market, will have more than 6 billion discarded handsets by 2025, according to a report from state-run media outlet China Central Television (CCTV), aiding a flourishing second-hand electronics industry amid Beijing’s efforts to combat climate change. Mobile phone ownership in China has been rising in recent years, reaching a total of 1.8 billion units by the end of 2021, CCTV reported, citing figures from the China Association of Electronics Equipments For Technology Development (CAEETD). The number includes…