US President Donald Trump mentioned the deal had been negotiated over the past 4 to 5 months.
Printed On 20 Oct 2025
United States President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have signed an settlement on uncommon earth and significant minerals as China tightens control over international provide.
The 2 leaders signed the deal on Monday on the White Home.
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Trump mentioned the settlement had been negotiated over 4 or 5 months. The 2 leaders will even talk about commerce, submarines and navy tools, Trump mentioned.
Albanese described it as an $8.5bn pipeline “that we’ve able to go”.
The total phrases of the settlement weren’t instantly obtainable. The 2 leaders mentioned a part of the settlement needed to do with processing of the minerals. Albanese mentioned each nations will contribute $1bn over the subsequent six months for joint initiatives.
China has the world’s largest uncommon earths reserves, in line with the US Geological Survey information, however Australia additionally has vital reserves.
The two leaders also planned to talk about the $239.4bn settlement, reached in 2023 below then-US President Joe Biden, through which Australia is to purchase US nuclear-powered submarines in 2032 earlier than constructing a brand new submarine class with Britain.
US Navy Secretary John Phelan advised the assembly the US and Australia had been working very carefully to enhance the unique framework for all three events “and make clear a number of the ambiguity that was within the prior settlement”.
Trump mentioned these had been “simply minor particulars”.
“There shouldn’t be any extra clarifications, as a result of we’re simply, we’re simply going now full steam forward, constructing,” Trump mentioned.
Australian officers have mentioned they’re assured it’s going to proceed, with Defence Minister Richard Marles final week saying he knew when the assessment would conclude.
China’s uncommon earth export controls
Forward of Monday’s assembly between the 2 leaders, Australian officers have emphasised Canberra is paying its manner below AUKUS — a trilateral navy partnership between the US, Australia and the UK, contributing $2bn this yr to spice up manufacturing charges at US submarine shipyards, and making ready to keep up US Virginia-class submarines at its Indian Ocean naval base from 2027.
The delay of 10 months in an official assembly since Trump took workplace has prompted some nervousness in Australia because the Pentagon urged Canberra to raise defence spending. The 2 leaders met briefly on the sidelines of the United Nations Normal Meeting in New York final month.
Australia is prepared to promote shares in its deliberate strategic reserve of crucial minerals to allies together with Britain, as Western governments scramble to finish their reliance on China for uncommon earths and minor metals.
High US officers final week condemned Beijing’s enlargement of uncommon earth export controls as a menace to international provide chains. China is the world’s largest producer of the supplies, that are very important for merchandise starting from electrical automobiles to plane engines and navy radars.
Useful resource-rich Australia, desirous to extract and course of uncommon earths, put preferential entry to its strategic reserve on the desk in US commerce negotiations in April.
