Trump's plan to mine seabed metals challenges China's grip

• Donald Trump plans to gather metals from the seabed to counter Chinese dominance in battery and rare earth mineral supply chains.
• The US administration is preparing an executive order to facilitate the collection of metals from the Pacific seabed, enhancing the US's self-sufficiency in these resources.
• The proposed actions include expediting mining applications and building national processing infrastructure for these metals.

Donald Trump's administration is working on an executive order to enable the collection of metals from the Pacific seabed. The objective is to challenge China's stronghold on the supply of batteries and rare earth minerals. These metals, including nickel, cobalt, copper, and manganese, are essential for the production of batteries, electrical wiring, and ammunition.

Alexander Gray, an expert on Asia and chief of staff to the US National Security Advisor during Trump's first administration, stated that the White House's interest in deep-sea mining is logical. According to the newspaper, China is progressively regarding the deep seabed as a key battleground in its economic and military rivalry with the United States.

The USA seeks to boost its self-sufficiency in critical minerals. As part of this strategy, the Trump administration is considering streamlining the mining process and establishing national processing infrastructure for these metals. Influential Republicans like Marco Rubio and Mike Waltz support these initiatives, considering them vital to countering China's ambitions.

Another strategy to increase domestic reserves is to establish an agreement with Ukraine. However, the negotiations are slow, and Trump's new proposals are hindering their timely completion.

Despite Republican enthusiasm, the USA is not involved in international negotiations on seabed mining. Critics argue that mining might endanger unknown deep-sea life forms and doubt the feasibility of creating a supply chain that rivals China's.