On 20 October 2025, the United States and Australia signed “a critical minerals agreement aimed at countering China.”
The deal will facilitate rapid investment into mining and processing projects, targeting “deposits of critical minerals worth $53 billion.” US President Trump commented that “in about a year from now, we’ll have so much critical mineral and rare earths that you won’t know what to do with them.”
Critical minerals, “including rare earths, lithium and nickel,” are “essential to advanced defense systems, aerospace components, communications equipment, and next-generation industrial technologies.” China had established control over most of their worldwide supply over the years.
Efforts Category: US-Australia Economic Cooperation
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