US, EU, Japan Move To Break China’s Control Of Critical Mineral Supply Chains

The US, European Union (EU), and Japan moved to counter China’s dominance of the global critical minerals’ supply chains.
The US and the EU committed to a deal within 30 days to “identify areas of cooperation to stimulate demand and diversify supply” in critical minerals, they said in a joint statement on Wednesday. The deal will include efforts to prevent supply chain disruptions, promote research and innovation efforts, and facilitate the exchange of information on stockpiling, they said.
The three economic powers, which make up almost 50% of the global economy, made the announcement after the Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington. Fifty-four nations attended the meeting that aimed to “secure vital supplies,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in his opening remarks.
Critical minerals have become the latest flashpoint in a global scramble to protect supply chains from what Washington views as predatory trade practices. China controls 60% to over 90% of the global critical mineral processing, depending on the mineral and stage of the supply chain, needed for missile defense, energy infrastructure, and emerging technologies.
US critical minerals list, source: U.S. Geological Survey
US Vice President JD Vance called for preferential trade zones and price support for critical minerals to protect against dumping. He urged ministers at the meeting to protect their economies from supply chains that “can vanish in a blink of an eye” without “control or influence from any of the countries in this room.”
The US and Japan signed a Framework for Securing the Supply of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths. Japan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwao Horii said global supply “diversification is essential.” He added that “diversity as opposed to concentration is what makes us resilient.”
Chinese Trade Measures Spur US Actions
Delegates at the meeting avoided directly accusing China of predatory pricing or dumping of critical minerals. The message was clear: the world’s second-largest economy has implemented trade policies, including dumping and price manipulation, to undermine mining in the US and other nations.
“On maintaining the stability and security of global critical mineral industrial and supply chains, China’s position remains unchanged,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday. “China maintains that countries need to follow the principles of a market economy and international trade rules.”
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce imposed rare earth export restrictions on October 9. It cited national security and the civilian and military use. The measure expanded controls to five more elements, in addition to seven others. China now has restrictions on 12 out of 17 rare earth element exports.
“The new measures mark a sharp escalation in Beijing’s long-running strategy to weaponize its dominance in rare earths,” Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Critical Minerals Security Program, at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies,

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