Small magnets, essential in electronics and motors, rely on rare earth minerals sourced or processed in China. Rare earth elements (REEs) are central to U.S. dependence on China.

Trump also said China agreed to maintain open exports of rare earths, critical minerals, and magnets—materials vital to high-tech manufacturing—and to work closely with U.S. authorities to curb the flow of fentanyl and precursor chemicals into the United

In April 2025, Trump signed an executive order focusing on critical minerals and rare earth metals.

A loader shifts soil containing rare earth minerals to be loaded at a port in Lianyungang, China's Jiangsu Province, for export to Japan.

Trump later said that a deal with Ukraine is nearly finalized to grant the United States access to the country’s rare earth minerals in return for the U.S. aid provided thus far. “I think that that's happening.

China also controls between 40 percent and 50 percent of the world’s supply of refined rare earth elements.

“Now it's tariffs that are making money for Michigan, and the entire country is stronger and safer and richer than ever before, outside of that period of time,” Trump said, emphasizing deals made over the past year regarding rare earths and minerals,

China dominates the global processing of rare earth minerals, accounting for 61 percent of global extraction and 92 percent of refining production, according to the International Energy Agency.

The meeting between Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump at the White House was supposed to be one of resolve and progress, with the two sides agreeing to a deal that would grant the United States access to billions of dollars’ worth of rare earth minerals

However, Ukraine’s rare earths and minerals may not be that easy to extract.

These measures were in addition to its in-kind response to Trump’s first batch of tariffs a month ago, which includes 15 percent on LNG products and coal, 10 percent on crude oil, agricultural gear, and heavy trucks, and restrictions on rare earth minerals

While Zelenskyy has said he is ready to sign an economic proposal that would trade access to his nation’s rare earth minerals for security guarantees, the Trump administration is saying the deal is off the table for now, following the Oval Office argument

Most rare-earth minerals are currently found in developing countries, fully half in Africa, where reports of child labour and other human rights abuses are all too common.

"Obviously, there's strong interest in what we're doing around rare earths and critical minerals," he said.

“The move added to China’s already global dominance in the supply of rare earths, removed supply from North American and European manufacturers, and placed another speed bump in Canada’s embryonic rare earth processing capability.

China's Ministry of Commerce also expanded its “unreliable entities list” to include 11 companies and imposed controls on several rare-earth minerals critical to global markets.

In response, Beijing launched a series of countermeasures, including tighter export controls on several categories of rare-earth minerals and the addition of more U.S. firms to its “unreliable entity list.”

The CCP’s leverage was demolished, and rare earths are already being provided from processing states such as Malaysia. The rare earths are not rare.

The export industries in China are enjoying the most rapid growth in sectors that receive enormous state assistance, such as automobiles and rare earth minerals.

Steenkampskraal rare-earth mine, about 50 miles from the Western Cape town of Vanrhynsdorp, in South Africa, has been confirmed as one of the highest grade deposits of rare-earth minerals in the world.

Pence would also lift bans on mining on federal land and speed up the approval process for mining rare earth minerals, according to the statement.

President Donald Trump met with Takaichi in Tokyo on Oct. 27 to sign a critical minerals and rare earths deal.

China has been a dominant producer of rare-earth minerals used to manufacture communications and defence equipment, and it has leveraged this asset in its trade conflict with the United States by threatening to shut off supply.

The United States currently depends on China for lithium-ion batteries, solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations, and rare earth minerals.

China’s high-tech sector continues to grow, fueling growth in strategic industries such as drones, rare earth minerals, and artificial intelligence.

America’s New Quest for Mineral Independence," Bridges noted that most of the rare earth minerals used in computer chips and batteries for electric cars are controlled by China, which "has really created a reliance on a single country for the technology

Trump and Zelenskyy have been in talks about the United States continuing to provide assistance to Ukraine in exchange for access to the country’s rare earth minerals and other natural resources.

and rare earths.

Xi's actions in recent weeks, including export controls on rare earth minerals and tit-for-tat port fee increases with the United States, suggest an offensive posture, according to some analysts.

But the United States is investing in its own refining capacity through government shares in rare-earth element miners and guaranteed future purchases at a floor price.