Trump counters China's metals grip with seabed mining plan
Beijing recently imposed restrictions on the export of rare earth metals. Donald Trump plans to respond by collecting metals from the seabed. In this way, the American president aims to counteract China's dominance in battery supply chains, reports the "Financial Times."
What do you need to know?
- Donald Trump plans to gather metals from the seabed to counteract China's dominance in the supply chains of batteries and rare earth minerals.
- The US administration is preparing an executive order that will allow the collection of metals from the Pacific seabed to help increase the US's self-sufficiency in these resources.
- The planned actions include expediting applications for mining and creating national processing infrastructure for these metals.
What are Trump's administration plans?
Donald Trump's administration is preparing an executive order that will enable the collection of metals from the Pacific seabed. The goal is to counter China's dominance in the supply chains of batteries and rare earth minerals. These metals, including nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese, are crucial for the production of batteries, electrical wiring, and ammunition.
Alexander Gray, an expert on Asia and chief of staff to the US National Security Advisor in Trump's first administration, said the White House's focus on deep-sea mining is logical. According to the newspaper, China is progressively regarding the deep seabed as a key battleground in its economic and military rivalry with the United States.
Why does the USA want to gather metals from the seabed?
The USA aims to increase its self-sufficiency in critical minerals. As part of this plan, the Trump administration is considering expediting the mining process and creating national processing infrastructure for these metals. Influential Republicans, such as Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz, support these efforts, seeing them as a way to counterbalance China's ambitions.
Another idea for increasing domestic reserves is to sign an agreement with Ukraine. However, the negotiations are dragging on, and Trump's new proposals are delaying their ultimate success.
What are the controversies related to seabed mining?
Despite Republican enthusiasm, the USA is not participating in international negotiations on seabed mining. Opponents argue that mining could harm undiscovered forms of life in the depths and also question the possibility of creating a supply chain comparable to China's.
