Trump to sign mineral deals in Asia to raise pressure on China
President Donald Trump will look to sign economic agreements and critical minerals deals with trading partners during his trip to Asia according to senior U S agents as the administration moves to ramp up pressure on China ahead of a crucial meeting with Xi Jinping Trump will look for deals that will help unlock the region s information to create more reliable supply chains for industries contribute to global rise and secure more investments in the U S according to authorities who briefed reporters Friday before the president s departure The leaders did not offer specifics on what the deals the president is seeking may entail The trip will feature stops in Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit Japan and then South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit capped by a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Xi an opportunity for the leaders of the world s two largest economies to resolve simmering disputes over tariffs and export controls Malaysia is in discussion for a foreseen critical minerals deal with the U S Stake Commerce and Industry Minister Zafrul Aziz reported on Saturday It is a possibility Zafrul disclosed when petitioned by Bloomberg Television s Haslinda Amin if Malaysia will be inking a deal with Trump when he signs a arrangement agreement with Malaysia on Sunday The flow of rare earth minerals which are critical to a number of key sectors including equipment defense and strength will be central to those discussions China has unveiled tighter export controls on rare earths and other critical minerals in a new round of tit-for-tat transaction restrictions between Washington and Beijing China s grip on the supply chain for those metals has been a key point of leverage for Xi in the arrangement fight Trump in turn has threatened to impose an additional tariff on Chinese products by Nov if Beijing does not pull back those restrictions He has also moved to secure alternate sources for the mining and processing critical minerals to protect American industries Earlier this week Trump signed a landmark pact with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to boost US access to critical minerals a pipeline the visiting leader valued at billion Related Articles By the Numbers Why trick-or-treaters may bag more gummy candy than chocolate this Halloween Surreal estate How hauntings affect home sales JPMorgan Chase wants out of paying M legal tab for convicted fraudsters Ticker Social Protection recipients get a boost in Wall Street hits records US coffee prices spike due to tariffs and poor weather Ahead of the Xi meeting Trump has also looked to ramp up his own negotiating position Earlier Friday the Trump administration reported it was launching an study into whether China had complied with the terms of a limited arrangement pact from the U S president s first term opening the door to even more tariffs on Beijing In addition to rare earths Trump is also seeking to convince Xi to resume Chinese purchases of American soybeans crack down on fentanyl trafficking and potentially apply pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine Also on the table is a current tariff understanding set to end in November that the leaders can extend Trump is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on his trip with Seoul in particular looking to finalize a pact and outlay pact with Washington to lower tariffs
