Why is Donald Trump so interested in rare earth minerals? | Inside Story

Since coming back to the White House earlier this year, Donald Trump has made rare earth minerals one of his top priorities.
He's focused on securing enough supply for the US economy.
In March, Trump went as far as signing an executive order, where he invoked wartime powers to increase the production of rare earths.
And this week, he signed several agreements with a number of Asian countries, in the hopes of gaining access to the minerals.
This is all to counter China's global dominance in this sector and Beijing's recent restrictions on rare earth exports.
So, why are these minerals so crucial for the US economy? And can Trump break China's monopoly?

Presenter: Bernard Smith

Guests:

Brian Wong - Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong.

Gracelin Baskaran - Mining Economist and Director of the Critical Minerals Security program at Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Huiyao Wang - President and Founder of Center for China and Globalization.

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Post from Al Jazeera on October 29, 2025

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