[REEs] A Visual Chronicle of the 2025 Mineral Alliance

2025 稀土礦產聯盟的視覺編年史

"中国"商務部在十月早些時候宣布擴大對稀土及其技術出口的限制，以防止其在軍事及其他敏感領域的使用。 喺2025年10月20日，美國同澳洲簽咗一份價值85億美元嘅稀土同關鍵礦產協議，目的係確保供應鏈同應對中國嘅主導地位。呢份協議係全球稀土交易市場近期最重要嘅一單交易。

China's Commerce Ministry earlier October announced expanded curbs on the export of rare earths and its technologies, seeking to prevent their use in the military and other sensitive sectors.

On October 20, 2025, the United States and Australia signed an $8.5 billion rare earth and critical minerals agreement aimed at securing supply chains and countering China’s dominance. This is the most significant recent deal in the global rare earth trading landscape.

Here’s a detailed summary of the key developments:

US–Australia Rare Earths Agreement

Signed by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House.

Scope: A strategic framework to secure supply chains for rare earths and critical minerals essential to defense and clean energy sectors.

Investment Pipeline: Up to $8.5 billion in joint projects, including rare earth processing facilities in Australia.

Participants: Companies like Alcoa are expected to be involved in the trilateral project groups.

Geopolitical Context: The deal comes as China tightens export controls on its own critical minerals, prompting Western allies to diversify sourcing.

Diplomatic Tone: While the deal strengthens US-Australia ties, Trump reportedly took care not to antagonize China directly during the signing.

Other Notable Developments

China’s Export Restrictions: Beijing has imposed stricter rules on rare earth exports, especially heavy rare earths like dysprosium and terbium, intensifying global supply concerns.

Western Strategic Moves:

The EU and Canada are also ramping up rare earth investments, though no deals as large as the US-Australia pact have been announced this month.

US-based companies like USA Rare Earth and NioCorp are receiving increased institutional backing and favorable analyst ratings.

Strategic Implications

This deal is not just economic—it’s geopolitical, reinforcing the AUKUS alliance and signaling a shift toward Western-led rare earth independence.

Analysts caution that while the deal is a strong start, it won’t immediately displace China’s dominance, which still controls over 60% of global rare earth refining.

SOURCE: COPILOT