China says U.S. and Australia 'should play a proactive role' to bolster rare earth supply chains

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FILE PHOTO: Workers transporting ungraded containing uncommon world elements for export astatine a larboard successful Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China, Oct. 31, 2010.

Stringer | Reuters

China connected Tuesday responded to the U.S.-Australia critical minerals deal by saying resource-rich uncommon world countries should instrumentality "a proactive role" successful stabilizing their captious minerals proviso chains.

A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was asked astir the U.S. and Australia captious minerals woody which has been framed arsenic an effort to antagonistic Beijing's dominance.

"The enactment of planetary accumulation and proviso chains is the effect of marketplace and firm choices," Guo Jiakun said, according to NBC.

"Resource-rich nations with captious minerals should play a proactive relation successful safeguarding the information and stableness of the concern and proviso chains, and guarantee mean economical and commercialized cooperation," helium added.

Rare earths are a class of minerals that are critical for a swath of products from cars to semiconductors.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese connected Monday signed an agreement astatine the White House intended to boost the supplies of uncommon earths and different captious minerals.

The model agreement, which was described arsenic an $8.5 cardinal woody betwixt the allies, comes soon aft China imposed much stringent export controls connected uncommon earths.

China's Commerce Ministry earlier this period announced expanded curbs connected the export of uncommon earths and related technologies, seeking to forestall the "misuse" of minerals successful the subject and different delicate sectors.

Western automotive manufacture groups person been among those to raise the alarm implicit the caller export controls, saying the measures could pave the mode to a play of proviso concatenation chaos.

Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump shingle hands aft signing a $8.5 cardinal uncommon world minerals statement during a bilateral gathering successful the Cabinet Room of the White House connected Oct. 20, 2025 successful Washington, DC.

Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images

Demand for uncommon earths and captious minerals is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years arsenic the clean vigor modulation picks up pace.

China is the undisputed leader of the captious minerals proviso chain, accounting for astir 60% of the world's accumulation of uncommon world minerals and materials. U.S. officials person previously warned that this poses a strategical situation amid the pivot to much sustainable vigor sources.

— CNBC's Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report.

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