Trump's plan to reduce China's control: Stockpiling Pacific minerals.

In a strategic move to counter Chinese dominance over rare earth metals, the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump is working on an innovative plan to store these metals found in the Pacific Ocean floor. The "Financial Times" newspaper indicates that through an executive order, the administration aims to ensure large quantities of these metals are available on American soil, in preparation for any future tension or conflict with China that may affect metal imports, especially rare earths. The goal of this step is to enhance the United States' ability to meet its future needs for vital metals used in battery manufacturing, as well as various other products like smartphones and electric cars. The importance of this move has increased after China imposed restrictions on the export of some rare earth elements last week in response to tariffs imposed by Trump on its imports, threatening to disrupt American supply chains. This plan is part of a broader effort, as the United States seeks to accelerate deep-sea mining operations under U.S. laws, while enhancing the country's capacity to process these metals on American soil. It is known that China controls about 90% of the world's processed rare earth metal production, which are vital elements used in defense, electric cars, clean energy, and electronics industries. The United States imports most of its needs for these metals from China, making these American plans a crucial step towards reducing reliance on the sole source of these elements.