The Trump administration is helping to assemble a coalition of allies and partners to trade critical minerals and buffer Beijing’s control of supply global chains, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Monday.
“In the last few weeks, the United States has announced a framework for creating a club of nations to be able to trade … [and for] refining and processing critical minerals,” Burgum said at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference.
Burgum, who co-leads President Donald Trump’s Energy Dominance Council, said the minerals club began forming two weeks ago and already comprises Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand and other countries.
“We cannot advance the industries we’re talking about without ensuring we all have access as a group of allies to those materials,” said the secretary.
