America News Agency

The administration plans to launch the partnership coalition with the signing of the Pax Silica Declaration on Friday. The cooperation aims to address gaps in access to critical minerals that stand in the way of countering China’s massive investments in critical minerals and the technology sector.

The administration is also actively working to persuade other countries to join the group.

Jacob Helberg, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, told Politico that the declaration, a statement of shared principles, paves the way for joint research and development, manufacturing and infrastructure development intended to compete with China’s Belt and Road initiative.

The initiative underscores how seriously the Trump administration views China’s near-monopoly position in rare earth elements—minerals critical for civilian and military applications—and its dominance in other parts of the global supply chain.

Beijing has used its dominance in the sector through export restrictions to counter the Trump administration’s aggressive tariff policy on Chinese imports.

The declaration also reflects U.S. concerns over China’s massive investments in artificial intelligence and quantum computing, which could provide Beijing with a competitive edge in the 21st-century economy.

With the signing of the declaration, a one-day Pax Silica Summit will begin, with officials from the European Union, Canada, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates also participating, where cooperation in areas such as advanced manufacturing, mineral processing and logistics will be discussed.