Trump Seeks Rare Earths in Talks With Central Asian Nations

President Donald Trump said he would look to diversify critical minerals purchases during a meeting with five central Asian countries on Thursday, as the US seeks to address China’s dominance in rare earths critical to advanced technology manufacturing.

“One of the key items on our agenda is critical minerals,” Trump said at a dinner with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan at the White House on Thursday. “In recent weeks, my administration has strengthened American economic security by forging agreements with allies and friends across the world to broaden our critical mineral supply chains.”