The Trump administration is forming a coalition to counter China’s dominant control of critical minerals and emerging power as a center of AI and other tech sectors.
The administration plans to launch the coalition of partners with the signing Friday of the Pax Silica Declaration, uniting Australia, Israel, Japan, Singapore and South Korea in a collaboration intended to address deficits in critical mineral access edging out China’s massive investment in its critical minerals and tech sector. The administration is actively looking to enlist other countries to join the group.
The declaration — a statement of common principles — paves the way for joint research and development, manufacturing and infrastructure development intended to rival China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg told POLITICO.
The initiative underscores the degree to which the Trump administration considers China’s near monopoly in rare earths — minerals that are critical to civilian and military applications — and dominance of other parts of the global supply chain, as a significant threat.
