The effects of the silent war between the United States and China have been causing commotion across the world. After the Chinese response, the taxes imposed by the North American President Donald Trump with the import restrictions of rare earth minerals, some countries started to make efforts to find new mines capable of supplying their needs. Among them, the US is trying to find ways to become self-sufficient, but until now, the reserves are still the same. A recent discovery may be a game-changer for this situation, but only if anyone else gets there first.
More than $16 trillion in metals were found under the ocean, and the US needs it
According to some sources, Donald Trump’s administration is about to sign an executive order to start the stockpiling of rare earth minerals used as a raw material in the production of batteries and other electrical devices. This movement is a direct reflection of the silent war between the US and China, which recently involved the rare earth minerals, which are mainly mined in China and processed by Chinese factories.
Due to the rising tensions between the two countries, the US needs to move fast and find a way to become self-sufficient regarding the mining and processing of rare earth minerals, but there are several problems that must be overcome.
Recently, a discovery was made by the Impossible Metals company, an expert in deep-sea mining. They found a new potential mine of critical minerals off the coast of American Samoa, and now they need to be fast to explore it before another company does.
An executive order made by President Donald Trump must allow the exploration of these possible mines
The executive order from President Trump means that the US can start a “strategic reserve” for critical minerals that are mainly produced by China. It is a significant move, predicting a possible escalation of the trade war with China. Once the Asian country is the world’s biggest supplier of rare earth minerals, being responsible for nearly 70% of the world’s production, the US needs to find a way to overcome the critical situation regarding the low production of these components.
Aware of this need, companies across the country are ready to exploit the polymeetallic nodules formed on the seafloor, which are said to contain rich amounts of nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese.
For China, the seabed and its resources are a “common heritage of mankind”
While Trump is ready to exploit the deep-sea mines, China’s Foreign Ministry stated that the seabed and its resources are a common heritage of humanity. “Exploration and exploitation of mineral resources in the international seabed area must be conducted following the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and within the framework of the International Seabed Authority”.
With this statement, a new commotion between China and the US may be about to raise the tension caused by the trade war. Despite the run for the rare earth materials, offshore mining is promoting technological advances in this industry. And it will be extremely necessary in the coming years.
According to Trump, it is all about making plans for the future
Although the run for rare earth minerals is moving countries that want to be self-sufficient to ensure the production of electronic devices without dependence on China’s imports, there is a long way to go. For the US President, it is also necessary to make plans for the future, starting by creating a large storage ready to supply the US with rare earth materials in case of a conflict with China. While the mining industry is getting ready for this task, great discoveries are being made, and some of them, like this undercover mine, may be a game-changer.