Foreign media reported today (April 13) that "it was reported that Trump has stockpiled deep-sea metals to cope with China's rare earth controls. Informants said that the U.S. government is drafting an executive order to allow the accumulation of deep-sea metals, in response to the control measures taken by China, which dominates the battery minerals and rare earth supply chain."
[Smart] Comment: The development of deep-sea mining reveals the severe strategic dilemma of the United States in resource strategy. Faced with the limited effectiveness of traditional trade means (such as tariff barriers) and insufficient competitiveness of domestic industries, turning to the development of deep-sea mineral resources is indeed a desperate move. Although deep-sea mining is technically feasible, its extraction costs are 300%-500% higher than those of land-based mining, and it faces serious ecological and environmental risks. This kind of resource acquisition method, which is akin to quenching thirst with poison, not only reflects the strategic anxiety of the United States in the field of key mineral supply chains but also shows the policy dilemma in responding to China's rare earth industry advantages.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829264183000203/
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