A senior US official on Thursday defended Washington’s new critical minerals push, telling the South China Morning Post that supply chain diversification is a national security measure, not an attempt to form an exclusive bloc as Beijing has claimed.
Deputy State Department spokeswoman Mignon Houston, speaking a day after the launch of the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement, or Forge, described the US-led global coordination of strategic minerals as a “prudent step”.
She sidestepped claims that Forge was aimed at China, which controls nearly 60 per cent of global critical mineral production and 80 per cent of refining, framing it instead as a response to structural vulnerabilities in increasingly mineral-intensive supply chains.
“The focus is truly on diversifying supply chains that will help in the event there’s a disruption, like the pandemic,” Houston said. “These are prudent steps globally ... and it’s an important step for national security writ large.”
She added that “by virtue of diversifying global supply chains, we are ensuring that we’re not at risk for these disruptions or price coercion”.
Critical materials are needed to make everything from defence systems and industrial robotics to washing machines.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted representatives from 54 countries and the European Union in Washington for the 2026 Critical Minerals Ministerial, where the US announced the launch of Forge.
The initiative, chaired by South Korea through June, builds on lessons from the 2019 Minerals Security Partnership and aims to coordinate policy and projects to strengthen diversified, resilient and secure supply chains, according to the State Department fact sheet released late on Wednesday.
The ministerial highlighted the scale of US-led coordination: in one day, the United States signed 11 new bilateral critical minerals frameworks and memorandums of understanding with countries including Argentina, Cook Islands, Ecuador, Guinea, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, the UAE and Uzbekistan.
In an effort to secure a leadership role in global critical minerals diplomacy, the US has now completed negotiations with 17 additional nations.
During the ministerial, US Vice-President J.D. Vance proposed a “preferential trade zone” for critical minerals among allies, featuring coordinated price floors enforced via adjustable tariffs to protect against dumping, without directly accusing China.
Not all participants signed on immediately, but the event showcased broad international interest in reducing reliance on concentrated supply chains.
“The US has demonstrated unprecedented leadership in critical minerals diplomacy, signing 11 new agreements in a single day and laying the groundwork for fairer, more secure supply chains,” Houston said.
Asked about Forge, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Thursday said that Beijing “opposes any country setting up exclusive blocs to disrupt international economic and trade order” and stressed that an “open, inclusive international trade environment beneficial to all serves the common interests of all countries”.
When pressed on whether China could play a role in creating “fair” and more resilient markets, Houston on Thursday referenced recent engagement between the two governments.
“We heard from the president via his Truth about his call with the president of China that it was excellent,” she said, calling the cooperation between the two global powers on issues such as the US fentanyl crisis “fantastic”.
She added that Trump’s call with Xi had been “long and really thorough”, and praised his “real leadership” in the Indo-Pacific region.
Concerns persist among US partners that aligning more closely with Washington could invite retaliation from China, which dominates large segments of the global refining and processing market for many critical minerals. On that point, Houston emphasised collective resilience.
“Our priority here is growing momentum from yesterday’s ministerial ... it’s a network that will build those timelines, milestones and tactical next steps,” she said.
“We’re looking forward to seeing tangible results, those results-focused initiatives, those groups meeting together, coming together with what we expect will be milestones and next steps from this group.”
The US is mobilising substantial resources to back this effort. According to the State Department, more than US$30 billion in letters of interest, investments, loans and other support have been committed over the past six months in partnership with the private sector.
Initiatives include the Export-Import Bank’s US$10 billion Project Vault to create a domestic strategic reserve, and Energy Department loans and conditional commitments totalling billions for projects including lithium, cobalt, graphite and rare earths in the US, Australia and other countries.
Private sector collaboration is also central to the Washington plan.
The Pax Silica consortium, launched in 2025, will invest in mining, refining, processing, recycling and end-use applications, while the US-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium has signed a MOU with Glencore for potential copper and cobalt acquisitions in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Experts note that the US faces major challenges in reducing dependence on China, which dominates both mining and processing of critical minerals.
According to a report published by the Council on Foreign Relations and Silverado Policy Accelerator released on Thursday, the US cannot simply out-mine or out-process China, given the country’s dominant position in the industry.
Instead, Washington must pursue innovation, recycling and alternative materials to “leapfrog China’s dominance”, creating faster, cleaner and more resilient supply chains.
“Expanding traditional mining and processing alone is insufficient,” the report noted.
“The United States should scale disruptive innovation, recovery and recycling to reduce dependence on China while strengthening allied cooperation on emerging mineral technologies.” -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
