Trump, Australia's Albanese sign critical minerals agreement, discuss submarine deal

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a rare earths and critical minerals agreement on Monday aimed at ensuring a steady supply of the materials at a time when China is trying to tighten control over global supply. As they met at the White House for their first summit, Trump said the deal had been negotiated over four or five months. Albanese described it as an $8.5 billion pipeline "that we have ready to go." The full terms of the agreement were not immediately available. The two leaders said part of the agreement had to do with processing of the minerals. Albanese said both countries will contribute $1 billion over the next six months for joint projects. The United States has been looking for access to rare earths and critical minerals around the world as China tightens control over global supply. China has the world's largest rare earths reserves, according to U.S. Geological Survey data, but Australia also has significant reserves. The two leaders also planned to discuss the A$368 billion($239.46 billion) AUKUS agreement, reached iWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times