Trump scrambles for minerals to break dependence on China

Look under almost every element of President Trump's second-term foreign policy — from the trade war with China, to peace in Ukraine, to annexing Greenland — and you'll find critical minerals.Why it matters: China has the U.S. in a bind when it comes to supplies of rare earths and other scarce minerals, and President Xi Jinping has proved he's willing to squeeze. That's why Trump was so intent on signing a one-year trade truce with Beijing, and why he's scouring the world for alternative sources.The big picture: The U.S. needs rare earth magnets to build everything from fighter jets to wind turbines. Virtually all global output runs through China.Beijing responded to Trump's tariffs with export controls on rare earths, leaving Trump with little option but to cut a deal. Xi agreed to pause the latest restrictions for a year, though previous truces have broken down ahead of schedule.The rare earths standoff was a major source of behind-the-scenes anxiety at the White House, and supercharged the mission to search the world for minerals."Minerals have really become the most powerful form of currency when it comes to foreign policy now," says Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.Driving the news: Trump signed three agreements on critical minerals during his Asia swing even before he sat down with Xi, then invited five leaders from resource-rich Central Asia to meet him at the White House when he returned.Just in the past 72 hours, the administration announced a $1.2 billion investment in two rare earths startups and unveiled a critical minerals deal with Kazakhstan, which has an abundance of minerals and recently announced a massive rare earths find.Rare earths have come up in Trump's debt swap talks with Argentina, peace talks with Ukraine and in trade negotiations with countries including Australia, Brazil and Japan. They were on the agenda when Trump visited Saudi Arabia and when African leaders visited him in D.C.Trump's insistence that the U.S. must control Greenland is also based largely on a desire to tap the Arctic territory's immense mineral wealth.Breaking it down: China is the sole or dominant source of eight of the nine minerals for which a supply disruption would be most damaging to the U.S. economy, according to the 2025 U.S. Geological Survey.Topping the list is samarium, a key element for magnets used in jets and missiles. As with other rare earths, China dominates all aspects of the supply chain — from mining, to separation, to manufacturing the magnets.The U.S. government became the primary shareholder in the only U.S. rare earths mine earlier this year and is trying, along with allies like Australia, to break China's stranglehold on processing rare earths and producing magnets.Reality check: Those strides would have been "unforeseeable" until recently, but "we are not going to be anywhere near self-sufficient in a year," says Baskaran.Zoom in: Minerals are central to another dispute the U.S. is mediating, between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.The conflict zone in eastern Congo is rich in metals including Tungsten, on which the U.S. is heavily reliant on China. The Trump administration pushed for minerals to be wrapped into the peace talks and wants to line up opportunities for U.S. companies, a source familiar with the talks told Axios.Zoom out: Trump's not alone. Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia would unveil a plan to produce rare earths domestically.Meanwhile, the EU is negotiating with Beijing to ensure it won't be cut off.What to watch: This issue isn't going away. Xi will have the critical minerals card to play for as long as the U.S. remains reliant on China — and Trump will keep pulling whatever levers he can to break that dependence.

Comments

World news

USask Huskies capture Mitchell Bowl at home, advance to 2025 Vanier Cup

Global News

Marjorie Taylor Greene casts doubt on Trump‘s MAGA credentials and suggests he is being pressured to cover up Epstein files

1 day ago

Independent

Marjorie Taylor Greene tells Trump to ‘refocus’ on MAGA and tamp down divisive rhetoric as feud over Epstein files intensifies: Live

1 day ago

Group of five in early twenties die in Co Louth car crash ‘while heading to a party’

Metro

Comments

Similar News

More Epstein revelations are coming soon. Trump and Andrew should be afraid

MTG, Massie defy Trump in push for Epstein transparency

Trump officials: Lower prices and greater affordability are coming

Marjorie Taylor Greene says Trump’s remarks hurtful but hopes they can make up

Trump trade negotiator hits out at EU delays in cutting tariffs and rules

Marjorie Taylor Greene tells Trump to ‘refocus’ on MAGA and tamp down divisive rhetoric as feud over Epstein files intensifies: Live

Marjorie Taylor Greene casts doubt on Trump‘s MAGA credentials and suggests he is being pressured to cover up Epstein files

Trump wants to crush the BBC. Time for Labour to take a stand

The cities Trump is targeting with ICE crackdowns next

Trump's $2,000 tariff checks requires legislation, Bessent says

Sending licence fee money to Mar-a-Lago not ‘smart’, shadow minister suggests after Trump threatened to sue BBC

Naturalized citizens gripped by fear as Trump’s immigration policy shifts

J.D. Tuccille: Trump is losing Americans on domestic use of the National Guard

The Meaning of Trump’s Presidential Pardons

Despite Trump's cane sugar activism, Canadian Coke drinkers should get used to high-fructose corn syrup

Trump turns on Marjorie Taylor Greene in explosive feud that could shatter MAGA movement

Trump praises ‘smart and respected’ Marjorie Taylor Greene in resurfaced video

Trump makes bizarre claim London is so dangerous people are ‘stabbed in the a**’

SNL’s Trump sells gold-framed Epstein files for $800 in cold open sketch: ‘Makes a great stocking stuffer’

Trump may not make it to 2028 with his health intact

World news

USask Huskies capture Mitchell Bowl at home, advance to 2025 Vanier Cup

Danko Jones on new album ‘Leo Rising’ and what it takes to grind it out on the road

Call of the Wilde: Montréal Canadiens fall to the Boston Bruins

La Nina weather system could bring more deadly storms to Southeast Asia, scientists warn

Hunt for gunman after boy, 10, and 21-year-old woman killed and three others injured in mass shooting in Newark

Marjorie Taylor Greene casts doubt on Trump‘s MAGA credentials and suggests he is being pressured to cover up Epstein files

Marjorie Taylor Greene tells Trump to ‘refocus’ on MAGA and tamp down divisive rhetoric as feud over Epstein files intensifies: Live

Group of five in early twenties die in Co Louth car crash ‘while heading to a party’

The militias battling to form a breakaway coastal state in the Middle East

Christmas is cancelled as shoppers cut back on festive supermarket baskets

Trump wants to crush the BBC. Time for Labour to take a stand

Nearly 70 schools to close in Australia over fears of asbestos in play sand

'Deep sadness' as extensive search off Ireland's coast for missing Royal Navy crew member ends

Arrest over deadly car blast in New Delhi

The cities Trump is targeting with ICE crackdowns next

Trump's $2,000 tariff checks requires legislation, Bessent says

Tragic update in hunt for missing UK Navy crew member after distress call

Five week old baby drowned in bath 'after argument between mum and dad'

B.C. Premier David Eby survives leadership review as NDP delegates signal support

'Fury from Alberta and Saskatchewan': Western patience wearing thin over lack of Alberta pipeline plan

10 necessities for fighting the cold and flu

Bruins hand slumping Canadiens third straight loss

Gun theft lead to shelter-in-place order in Alta.

Vilardi nets shootout winner, Jets down Flames

Forsberg shuts down Senators in return to Ottawa

A rare nugget of bipartisanship: How data farms’ water-gobbling and rate hikes have communities fighting back

How Budget could hit you if you earn over £50k – and what you can do about it

Lorde live in Manchester was a confirmation of her status as a pop star

Cold snap to bring -7°C temperatures and possibly snow as health alerts issued

Iran says it's no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country

Behind the Curtain: MAGA's metastasizing mess

Twilight of the star CEO

Ontario town ends boat rescue service sparking concern among water safety advocates

Naturalized citizens gripped by fear as Trump’s immigration policy shifts

Five people dead after crash on ‘very dangerous’ road

At least 13 injured in ‘freak accident’ as demolition derby car crashes into crowd

Sending licence fee money to Mar-a-Lago not ‘smart’, shadow minister suggests after Trump threatened to sue BBC

Hundreds of thousands rally in Manila against flood-control corruption scandal

Commentary: Front-runner or flash in the pan? Sizing up Newsom, 2028

Noughties diet culture destroyed our girls. I can’t believe it’s back

The cars still available on the Motability scheme if luxury models are cut

Everything we know about the Home Office’s radical asylum overhaul

Is AI being shoved down your throat at work? Here’s how to fight back.

Why are there so many billionaires nowadays?

Five young adults dead after car crash

Photos of the treasures in Rome's exclusive Colonna Palace

Zelenskyy says Ukraine is working on a prisoner exchange with Russia

Foreign minister says Iran is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country

Co Louth crash: Three men and two women killed in horror car accident

Tragic twist of Disney fan who died in front of resort staff as hidden details emerge

YouTuber Jack Doherty arrested in Miami on drug possession charges

China Escalates Japan Feud With Island Patrols and Warnings to Citizens

'Dear Canada, we miss you': What these U.S. cities and states are doing to woo Canadians back

Despite Trump's cane sugar activism, Canadian Coke drinkers should get used to high-fructose corn syrup

Two-year-old boy dies after falling from 20th-floor apartment window in New Jersey

Border Patrol agents question Christmas light workers as crackdown escalates

Trump turns on Marjorie Taylor Greene in explosive feud that could shatter MAGA movement