Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths
2025-12-06 08:49:21 source：SCMP
December 6, 2025
During his Southeast Asia trip in October, US President Donald Trump sealed deals with Malaysia and Thailand on the same day – both aimed at securing and diversifying America’s supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths.
Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed to step up cooperation on building and expanding critical minerals supply chains, according to a White House statement. They also agreed to strengthen the security of critical minerals and rare earths supplies in the two countries.
Using similar wording, the White House said the US would also “strengthen cooperation [with Thailand] on critical minerals supply chains development and expansion” and promote trade between the two nations in areas including critical mineral resource exploration, extraction, and processing and refining.
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