The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it wants to create a critical minerals trading bloc with its allies and partners, using tariffs to maintain minimum prices and defend against China’s stranglehold on the key elements needed for everything from fighter jets to smartphones. Vice President JD Vance said the U.S.-China…

The minerals are "heavily concentrated in the hands of one country", Rubio said, without referencing China, adding that the situation had become a "tool of leverage in geopolitics".