The Trump administration is pressuring China to fulfill its commitments on rare earth and critical mineral supplies ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States in September.
The U.S. is demanding that China increase its rare earth supply while also working to prevent critical minerals from used batteries and electronic waste from being exported overseas. This move aims to reduce the U.S. reliance on China for critical mineral procurement.
On July 30, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Vessen and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held a video conference lasting over an hour with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.
This meeting was held in anticipation of Xi's visit and a planned summit with President Trump. After the meeting, Vessen emphasized that "China must fully honor its commitments regarding rare earths and U.S. agricultural products."
The U.S. believes that China is not supplying the agreed-upon levels of rare earths. China maintains a system requiring government approval for exporting rare earths and has tightened export restrictions on some U.S. companies.
A source familiar with U.S.-China negotiations told Reuters, "The U.S. has repeatedly expressed concerns and given China time to change course, but China continues to escalate tensions. Continued escalation will have consequences."
China has also expressed dissatisfaction with U.S. trade restrictions. According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, Vice Premier He conveyed "serious concerns" about recent U.S. trade restrictions against China during the meeting.
While pressuring China for rare earth supplies, the U.S. is also accelerating efforts to secure critical minerals domestically. On the same day, President Trump directed the Department of Commerce to develop measures to limit the export of used batteries and electronic waste containing critical minerals.
This includes black mass, a powder made from crushed lithium-ion batteries, and expired rare earth magnets. Black mass can be processed to extract lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese, which are essential battery materials.
In a memorandum, President Trump stated, "The shortage of critical minerals and materials in the U.S. poses an increasing risk to national defense and security," emphasizing the need to reduce dependence on foreign sources.
White House officials described the measures as part of a policy to increase domestic recycling of critical minerals and reduce reliance on China.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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