BRUSSELS — The European Union and the U.S. are closing in on a deal to address a problem that is vexing leaders on both sides of the Atlantic: their dependence on China for critical mineral inputs.
But even as the two sides find some common ground after a rocky period culminating in President Donald Trump’s threats at the turn of the year to annex Greenland — an agreement risks cementing an unequal partnership dominated by Washington.
Brussels, despite working on the issue for over a decade, has produced a series of targets, road maps and handshake alliances that have delivered few results when it comes to securing the critical materials used in everything from radar installations to electric vehicle batteries.
The Trump administration, by contrast, has been on a dealmaking spree, using cold cash to take stakes in projects worldwide.
