US pushes Australia to join China critical minerals fight as poll shows scepticism toward Trump administration
The US hopes to embroil Australia in a trade war with China over control of global supplies of critical minerals, as a new poll reveals deep skepticism among voters about the Trump administration.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the fight over metals such as lithium, cobalt and copper was a case of “China against the world”.
“We will talk to our European allies, to Australia, to Canada, to India, to the Asian democracies,” he said at an event hosted by American broadcaster CNBC.
“We will react strongly to this as a group because bureaucrats in China cannot manage the supply chain or production process for the rest of the world.”
China has imposed tighter export restrictions on rare earth metals vital for products such as electric vehicles, as well as defense technologies such as missiles and fighter jets.
In response, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on Chinese imports.
But behind the scenes, the Trump administration is also trying to break Beijing’s grip on the global critical mineral supply chain by making deals with countries such as Australia.
Finance Minister Jim Chalmers plans to meet U.S. Economic Council director Kevin Hassett in New York this week, where the issue will be discussed.
At the same time, a new poll shows only 16 per cent of Australians think the president’s second term is good for Australia.
The Center for United States Studies found that more than half of those surveyed thought Mr. Trump’s second term was bad for the country.
Support for our alliance with the US has also fallen compared to previous figures; 42 per cent believed the military agreement would make Australia safer; That’s a 13-point drop from the 2024 survey.
Just under a third of respondents said the alliance made Australia less safe.
Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy is also in the US ahead of the prime minister’s meeting with Trump next week and said the White House was willing to work more closely with the federal government.
“Obviously there’s a lot of interest in the work we’re doing on rare earths and critical minerals,” he told ABC Radio.
There was fierce speculation at the time of Anthony Albanese’s visit that Australia might reach a deal with the US on critical minerals.
Mr Conroy also signed a deal with the US War Department and arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin for Australia to begin producing guided missiles by the end of the year.
