by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – The United States has agreed to work with Japan, Mexico and the European Union to secure supply chains for critical minerals vital to defense, energy and advanced manufacturing, the Trump administration announced Wednesday.
The initiative advances Donald Trump’s push to blunt China’s dominance in rare earths and other strategic materials. Under the proposed agreements, partner nations will coordinate to identify priority minerals and jointly support mining, refining, processing and recycling projects, U.S. officials said.
China currently controls roughly 90% of global rare earth processing capacity, according to the International Energy Agency, giving Beijing leverage over industries ranging from automaking to advanced weapons systems. While a trade detente reached last October eased some export restrictions, U.S. officials say China’s controls remain tighter than before.
Under the plan, the U.S., Japan and the EU will finalize a memorandum of understanding within 30 days to back allied projects, while the U.S. and Mexico will implement a similar action plan within 60 days. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer called the move “a new paradigm for preferential trade in critical minerals.”
Vice President JD Vance said the administration aims to establish allied “preferential trade zones” with price floors enforced by tariffs on non-members, preventing China from flooding markets with below-cost minerals to undercut competitors. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the effort is focused on moving from discussion to action.
The announcement follows Trump’s unveiling of Project Vault, a strategic stockpile backed by a $10 billion loan from the Export-Import Bank of the United States and $1.67 billion in private capital, alongside direct federal investments in producers such as USA Rare Earth. Officials say the combined strategy will strengthen Western supply chains and reduce long-term reliance on China.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
More details have emerged about an extraordinary secret flight by U.S. President Donald J. Trump, who was reportedly moved between aircraft inside a catering truck amid fears of an Iranian attempt on his life.
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens more, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday, as Kyiv accused Moscow of using North Korean ballistic missiles in its escalating air campaign.
Switzerland’s government has rejected a campaign to enshrine a stricter interpretation of the Alpine nation’s centuries-old neutrality in the constitution, ahead of a nationwide referendum next month.
An Indonesian and three Pakistani crew members were among six people killed in an attack by Iran-backed Houthi forces on a cargo ship in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait near Yemen, officials said Wednesday.
Wim de Goeij, a former Jehovah’s Witness who became a prominent Dutch publisher of Bible-teaching materials and outspoken critic of the Watch Tower Society, has died. He was 64.
Hungary’s Parliament elected former Supreme Court President András Baka as the nation’s new president Tuesday, marking a dramatic political comeback for a judge removed from office under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has signed legislation removing the state’s previous statutory restrictions governing abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy, prompting pro-life leaders to warn that the new standard effectively permits abortions throughout pregnancy based on a physician’s professional judgment.