Trump's Hand Reaches for Pacific Minerals

In a strategic move to counter China's dominance over minerals, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is working on an executive order to allow the storage of minerals found on the Pacific Ocean floor. This initiative aims to secure local reserves of critical minerals used in battery production and advanced technologies, in anticipation of any restrictions that China may impose on the export of these minerals.

China produces about 90% of the processed rare earth elements globally, which are essential for defense industries, electric vehicles, and electronics. Last week, China imposed restrictions on the export of some of these elements in response to U.S. tariffs, raising concerns in the United States about securing supplies of these vital minerals.

This U.S. move is part of broader efforts to enhance self-sufficiency in rare minerals, including accelerating deep-sea mining operations and establishing processing facilities on U.S. soil. The goal is to reduce dependence on foreign sources and ensure the availability of these minerals for future use.

It is worth noting that neither the White House nor the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received any requests for comment on this matter.