America has been pressing some European Union member states to sign bilateral memorandums of understanding
[NEW YORK] The US will convene dozens of foreign ministers from allied countries next month to pursue an agreement designed to help reduce their dependencies on Chinese critical minerals.
The meeting, which sources familiar say is slated for Feb 4, will be focused on diversifying and fortifying supply chains for critical minerals. It’s expected to be hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Ending US reliance on the minerals has been a top priority for Washington since last year, when Beijing imposed export restrictions on so-called rare earths. Those were delayed for a year late last October as part of a deal between US Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, but American officials are now determined to make quick progress on the matter, European diplomats said.
To that end, the US has been pressing some European Union member states to sign bilateral memorandums of understanding. The European Commission has in response asked EU states to stick together and present a unified front, according to sources familiar with the matter.
A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the possible meeting.
“Critical minerals are one of the key priorities for the Trump Administration and various US government agencies are working together to achieve our goals to build secure critical minerals supply chains,” the department said.
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Talks so far have not been easy, they added. Some countries are confused about who in the administration is the point person for critical mineral policy, as Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer have all taken roles in the discussions.
“It’s no secret we need more resilient supply chains for critical minerals,” Greer said, adding that the goal is “to create an economically viable market for critical minerals” through working with partner countries.
Bessent discussed the matter with finance ministers from a handful of allied countries in Washington on Monday (Jan 12).
Administration officials initially planned to wrap up negotiations with European countries by Jan 22, but according to the sources familiar, that is unlikely to happen. BLOOMBERG
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