US and Australia sign $8.5 billion critical minerals deal, including a gallium refinery in the Outback

[Cal Jeffrey]

In context: The US is strengthening its rare-earth supply chain with another multibillion-dollar deal. As trade tensions with China persist, the Trump administration is moving to secure reliable access to critical minerals, both from domestic sources and international partners.

President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed an $8.5 billion critical minerals agreement Monday to secure materials vital for semiconductors, electric vehicles, and defense technologies. TechCrunch notes that the deal includes a $3 billion investment from both governments over the next six months, forming part of a broader $8.5 billion project pipeline.

As part of the agreement, the US Department of Defense will fund a new gallium refinery in Western Australia with an annual capacity of 100 tons – nearly five times current US consumption. Gallium is a key component in microwave circuits and blue and violet LEDs, critical for electronics and lasers. The US currently imports all of its gallium, leaving domestic manufacturers exposed to supply disruptions, particularly as China tightens restrictions on rare earth elements and other critical minerals.

The deal also includes a $1.2 billion purchase of autonomous underwater vehicles from defense startup Anduril, along with the first tranche of Apache helicopters in a separate $2.6 billion agreement. Officials have not clarified whether the AUV purchase represents a new program or extends the previously announced Ghost Shark initiative. Analysts say the contracts link mineral security with defense technology, reinforcing US-Australia strategic cooperation.

In addition to the Australia deal, the United States is accelerating domestic production of critical minerals. The Pentagon has invested $400 million in MP Materials to expand rare-earth magnet production in Texas and is supporting other firms including NioCorp and USA Rare Earth. These efforts, combined with the Australian partnership, aim to reduce US reliance on China, which controls most global rare-earth mining and processing.

White House officials have highlighted supply-chain security and strategic autonomy as key drivers. According to experts, even with expanded domestic production and international partnerships, US companies may face challenges meeting growing demand for rare-earth magnets and other materials essential to clean energy, defense, and high-tech manufacturing.

The critical minerals agreement underscores US commitment to building resilient, diversified supply chains. By combining investments in Australian projects, defense procurement, and domestic production, Washington and Canberra hope to strengthen technological and industrial independence while mitigating the risks posed by Chinese export restrictions.

Image credits: BBC, Reinhard Jahn

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US and Australia sign $8.5 billion critical minerals deal, including a gallium refinery in the Outback

 

[Megalomaniac]

China's so far ahead of America it isn't even funny.
They are ultimately bringing back Gold-backed money and publicly signaling to other nations to do the same. The world is de-dollarizing. No one trusts America or the dollar anymore after what America did to Russia. Gold can't be frozen. It's soon going to be qualified as a High Value Liquid Asset - something bitcoin and crypto will never be. I'm glad I bought Gold in 2018. I've been dollar cost averaging into it and we are way up.

Rare Earth minerals are giving China the dominance in Electric Vehicles. Elon Musk can't get the military grade magnets he wants for the Optimus robots.

China is winning on every level while America is busy fighting itself and its people are protesting the Orange buffoon who is tweeting obscenities and madness like a common internet troll.

 

[seeprime]

China's so far ahead of America it isn't even funny.
They are ultimately bringing back Gold-backed money and publicly signaling to other nations to do the same. The world is de-dollarizing. No one trusts America or the dollar anymore after what America did to Russia. Gold can't be frozen. It's soon going to be qualified as a High Value Liquid Asset - something bitcoin and crypto will never be. I'm glad I bought Gold in 2018. I've been dollar cost averaging into it and we are way up.

Rare Earth minerals are giving China the dominance in Electric Vehicles. Elon Musk can't get the military grade magnets he wants for the Optimus robots.

China is winning on every level while America is busy fighting itself and its people are protesting the Orange buffoon who is tweeting obscenities and madness like a common internet troll.

How do you know China is bringing back currency backed by gold?

 

[Theinsanegamer]

How do you know China is bringing back currency backed by gold?

Both China and Russia purchased significant amounts of gold during and after the lockdowns, so that's probably where the idea comes from.

China's so far ahead of America it isn't even funny.
They are ultimately bringing back Gold-backed money and publicly signaling to other nations to do the same. The world is de-dollarizing. No one trusts America or the dollar anymore after what America did to Russia. Gold can't be frozen. It's soon going to be qualified as a High Value Liquid Asset - something bitcoin and crypto will never be. I'm glad I bought Gold in 2018. I've been dollar cost averaging into it and we are way up.

Rare Earth minerals are giving China the dominance in Electric Vehicles. Elon Musk can't get the military grade magnets he wants for the Optimus robots.

China is winning on every level while America is busy fighting itself and its people are protesting the Orange buffoon who is tweeting obscenities and madness like a common internet troll.

What's funny about gold is that, had you invested in tech stocks instead, you would have done better. Gold has gone up by 107% since 2018, from 1312 per ounce to 2726. The SnP 500, meanwhile, went from 2,760 to 6,652 in the same timeframe, which is a 141% increase. If you held a mix of stock in top tech companies, you'd be up well over 200%. Microsoft, apple, AMD, nvidia, all of these companies have far outperformed inflation, MS and apple are roughly tied for worse performance with mere 400% gains since 2018.

"going gold" merely means you kneecap your economy's future growth, as you can only grow by acquiring more gold, or debasing the currency. That's why we abandoned the gold standard in the first place.

 

[p51d007]

Part of the problem with gold is governments can make it illegal for private citizens to own it.
Say it can't happen? Look up Executive Order 6102, signed in 1933. There were exemptions
for dentists, artists etc, but "private citizens" were not allowed to own physical gold over a
certain amount, or face stiff penalties.

 

[Megalomaniac]

Both China and Russia purchased significant amounts of gold during and after the lockdowns, so that's probably where the idea comes from.
What's funny about gold is that, had you invested in tech stocks instead, you would have done better. Gold has gone up by 107% since 2018, from 1312 per ounce to 2726. The SnP 500, meanwhile, went from 2,760 to 6,652 in the same timeframe, which is a 141% increase. If you held a mix of stock in top tech companies, you'd be up well over 200%. Microsoft, apple, AMD, nvidia, all of these companies have far outperformed inflation, MS and apple are roughly tied for worse performance with mere 400% gains since 2018.

"going gold" merely means you kneecap your economy's future growth, as you can only grow by acquiring more gold, or debasing the currency. That's why we abandoned the gold standard in the first place.

Economic growth based on "nothing" is not "Growth". It's debt.

And that's why America's economy is in trouble right now.

It's because we went off the Gold standard and started printing money with nothing backing it. It's the difference between fast economic growth and stable economic growth.

Gold doesn't change much over time, it's rare and it has intrinsic value. The dollar doesn't. Crypto doesn't.
I did invest in tech stocks. I had an Index I made: MANGOAT (Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Google, oil/gas stocks/ Amazon, Tesla) I expanded to intel, Micron, TSM and AMD when I realized the chip shortage was going to be a big problem.

Oh yes, you do earn more up front for S&P or DOW stocks but the question is, whether or not you win with Gold vs. stocks if the dollar devalues.

What good are the dividends or the increase in share value if the cost of living/ high interest strips you of your gains?

 

[candle86]

China's so far ahead of America it isn't even funny.
They are ultimately bringing back Gold-backed money and publicly signaling to other nations to do the same. The world is de-dollarizing. No one trusts America or the dollar anymore after what America did to Russia. Gold can't be frozen. It's soon going to be qualified as a High Value Liquid Asset - something bitcoin and crypto will never be. I'm glad I bought Gold in 2018. I've been dollar cost averaging into it and we are way up.

Rare Earth minerals are giving China the dominance in Electric Vehicles. Elon Musk can't get the military grade magnets he wants for the Optimus robots.

China is winning on every level while America is busy fighting itself and its people are protesting the Orange buffoon who is tweeting obscenities and madness like a common internet troll.

Why don't you tell this you're a CCP stooge and just get it over with because China isn't winning anything.

Honestly with a trade war my money's on the good old US of A China has an aging population that's about to reach a tipping point where costs to care for the elderly exceed income and we're going to go out of our way to further cripple their economy on purpose which is a glorious thing I say let's bankrupt China completely utterly bankrupt

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Economic growth based on "nothing" is not "Growth". It's debt.

And that's why America's economy is in trouble right now.

It's because we went off the Gold standard and started printing money with nothing backing it. It's the difference between fast economic growth and stable economic growth.

America's economy is in trouble because it followed a trickle down system that concentrated wealth at the top of the stack, making it easier to horde wealth, while gutting out industry that formed the backbone of the economy sending it overseas.

Being on the "gold standard" wouldnt have stopped that. Arguably it would have made the situation worse, as we wouldnt have the flexibility to manipulate the currency during a major financial crisis to stem the bleeding. This is why we first de pegged in 1933. The Great Depression would have been far worse if all spending was still anchored to a fairly static gold reserve.

It also would have limited the gains of the 90s tech boom or the late 2010s rally, because you cant grow your economy on the gold standard unless you....get more gold. Such a market cannot react to rapid changes in value. This is why paper money was being experimented with hundreds of years ago.

Currency Crisis were a common issue, especially after a disaster or war, and became a constant issue as the global economy began trading outside their local townsfolk. The Opium Wars fought against China were centered around too much silver flowing into China threatening the stability of Western economies. Both France and England experimented with new valuation systems in the early 1700s directly because of the cost of conquest and disaster leaving the countries deep in debt with no way out because they couldnt just conjure up more gold. Conversely, Spain had the opposite issue, finding so much silver in the New World it collapsed the market back home causing a mass inflationary crisis.

Being on a hard "standard" directly made all these situations far worse.

Gold doesn't change much over time, it's rare and it has intrinsic value.

No, it has assigned value. Gold is no more valuable then emeralds, or coal, or any other mineral.

There was once an island tribe that used stone wheels as currency. Those were rare, as only 1-2 a year were made, and they were impossible to fake as they were outside where everyone could see them. Shells were a "rare currency" to any tribe that wasnt near a major water body.

This is also a major weakness of "gold standards". What value that gold has can easily change. What value would your new gold standard have? Would it be $35 a troy ounce like in 1971? There wouldnt be enough gold on earth to handle the US economy. Would you value the new gold standard at the current troy value? If so, then what makes it any better then fiat? You can just change the gold standard every year to match the current value (which is what the troy value already does).

The dollar doesn't. Crypto doesn't.
I did invest in tech stocks. I had an Index I made: MANGOAT (Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Google, oil/gas stocks/ Amazon, Tesla) I expanded to intel, Micron, TSM and AMD when I realized the chip shortage was going to be a big problem.

Oh yes, you do earn more up front for S&P or DOW stocks but the question is, whether or not you win with Gold vs. stocks if the dollar devalues.

What good are the dividends or the increase in share value if the cost of living/ high interest strips you of your gains?

What good does buying gold do you when you are missing out on economic growth to hold onto old ideas? Your gold will have to double in value to match current stock prices, and by then the dow jones will be north of 50k.

The dollar has devalued by over 50% in the last 5 years. During that time, the value of your gold failed to keep up with the market. By buying it, you effectively parked it and made nothing on it, since the value doubled but the purchasing power halved. Had you invested that in the market, you would have GAINED purchasing power.

All your "gold standard" did was lose you money. Your proposed situation occurred, and you LOST out, because every dollar you spent on gold lost value, while every dollar you invested gained value, demonstrating why the "gold standard" is an illusion chased by those who dont understand why we de pegged the dollar in the first place.

 

[toooooot]

Good measures, but 10+ years too late.
What many fail to notice is that our divorce with China was imminent years ago. To prove it, recall which president began limiting China's access to high tech semiconductors. Biden did. Trump did not reversed but kept this way.
Because it is not about a president or a party. It is much bigger things, the fate of our nation's future. Those who hope that we can somehow reverse it all and buy cheap Chinese goods are either fools or uneducated.
China does not want to stay where it is. It will gain strength till it can dictate second best what to do.
It was all meant to happen. It is happening.

 

[RudyBob]

What I noticed: When asked about the processing of the earth Trump gave it short shift and the Aussie PM tried to interject but Trump wasn't going to let him. It could be because Trump didn't want this lightweight PM say the wrong thing or he wants that aspect played closer to the vest. I call the Aussie PM a lightweight because in his short 3 minute talk he said "take it to the next level" three times

 

[hahahanoobs]

Why don't you tell this you're a CCP stooge and just get it over with because China isn't winning anything.

China has a significant and long-standing lead in the rare earths industry, dominating both the mining and, crucially, the much more advanced and valuable stages of processing. Its dominance has been built through decades of strategic government investment, lax environmental regulations, and lower labor costs, which effectively drove international competitors out of business.

It's not even close.

 

[JMGuy]

Gold has value as a hedge — but let’s not pretend the gold standard was some golden age. It was ditched because it made crises worse and tied economic growth to a rock. That’s not stability, that’s stagnation.

And no, gold hasn’t outperformed. It held value, but broad-market investors — even outside tech — did better. Gold protects wealth; it doesn’t grow it.

As for the “China is winning everything” narrative — grow up. Rare earth processing is one thing, but China’s also staring down a real estate meltdown, youth unemployment, a shrinking population, and capital flight. That’s not dominance — that’s fragility.

Yes, America has problems. Always has, if you’ve read a history book. But it still leads in innovation, controls the reserve currency, and has far stronger long-term fundamentals. Nobody sees China as a global leader — it’s a geopolitical bully with structural rot and no clear path forward without major reforms.

Gold hoarding and CCP cheerleading ≠ economic wisdom.

 

[Norsiiii]

Gold doesn't change much over time, it's rare and it has intrinsic value.

LMFAO, no it doesnt. It's literally just a random metallic element that has a slightly different color from most other metals. It's not even very rare, nowhere near the rarest, nor the most useful. There's absolutely nothing intrinsically special about it.

It's use as a token of value is literally the exact same thing as using special pieces of paper, stamped discs of copper/nickel, literal bottle caps, or well-preserved four-leafed clovers - its value is 100% derived merely from the fact that people largely agree to consider it valuable.

The ONLY thing that has made it a more reliable store of value is that everyone is largely more confident that they'll be able to redeem the value of their gold at a later future point in time than they are for any other medium of value-storage, and people are more confident in it only because they know that other people are also more confident in it. That's literally it. Not some magical 'intrinsic' property of the metal

 

[VitalyT]

Look at those two minerals... old and wrinkly.

 

[Karlos95]

Both China and Russia purchased significant amounts of gold during and after the lockdowns, so that's probably where the idea comes from.
What's funny about gold is that, had you invested in tech stocks instead, you would have done better. Gold has gone up by 107% since 2018, from 1312 per ounce to 2726. The SnP 500, meanwhile, went from 2,760 to 6,652 in the same timeframe, which is a 141% increase. If you held a mix of stock in top tech companies, you'd be up well over 200%. Microsoft, apple, AMD, nvidia, all of these companies have far outperformed inflation, MS and apple are roughly tied for worse performance with mere 400% gains since 2018.

"going gold" merely means you kneecap your economy's future growth, as you can only grow by acquiring more gold, or debasing the currency. That's why we abandoned the gold standard in the first place.

Now do Bitcoin

 

[exothermic]

Australia made a deal with the devil, disappointing. Surely it can afford to invest and conduct the business by itself.

 

[candle86]

China has a significant and long-standing lead in the rare earths industry, dominating both the mining and, crucially, the much more advanced and valuable stages of processing. Its dominance has been built through decades of strategic government investment, lax environmental regulations, and lower labor costs, which effectively drove international competitors out of business.

It's not even close.

Accept the gloves have come off and we have a significantly more buying power for these things in China does.

We're fully capable of processing it on our own it is a myth to say that China's only one that can process it because they're not The US defense industry doesn't allow their supply chain to go through China how do you think we're already getting the rare earth minerals used for the defense industry?

We already have the technology turns out we're going to share it with Australia so we can set up some plants over there I'm fine with that now we just need to convince them to let us set up some nuclear ICBMs so we can show China what we really think about them.

American sanctions crushed the Soviet Union and they're about to crush China. The biggest mistake our government ever made was in the '70s Nixon going to China. You want to send real shockwaves The US president should formally visit Taiwan shake their hand in publicly announced a joint defense treaty That's what should happen. Then forward deploy US naval assets in nuclear missile forces onto Taiwan like we did in the good old days.

 

[seeprime]

Economic growth based on "nothing" is not "Growth". It's debt.

And that's why America's economy is in trouble right now.

It's because we went off the Gold standard and started printing money with nothing backing it. It's the difference between fast economic growth and stable economic growth.

Gold doesn't change much over time, it's rare and it has intrinsic value. The dollar doesn't. Crypto doesn't.
I did invest in tech stocks. I had an Index I made: MANGOAT (Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Google, oil/gas stocks/ Amazon, Tesla) I expanded to intel, Micron, TSM and AMD when I realized the chip shortage was going to be a big problem.

Oh yes, you do earn more up front for S&P or DOW stocks but the question is, whether or not you win with Gold vs. stocks if the dollar devalues.

What good are the dividends or the increase in share value if the cost of living/ high interest strips you of your gains?

After Nixon took the US off gold backed currency it was backed by the value of goods and services produced, as the GDP is defined. That has been shot to hell with much former manufacturing moved elsewhere. Now, artificial currency constructs/instruments have been created that prop it up in place of actual physical materials with real value. That's a pretty sandy foundation.

 

[hahahanoobs]

Accept the gloves have come off and we have a significantly more buying power for these things in China does.

We're fully capable of processing it on our own it is a myth to say that China's only one that can process it because they're not The US defense industry doesn't allow their supply chain to go through China how do you think we're already getting the rare earth minerals used for the defense industry?

We already have the technology turns out we're going to share it with Australia so we can set up some plants over there I'm fine with that now we just need to convince them to let us set up some nuclear ICBMs so we can show China what we really think about them.

American sanctions crushed the Soviet Union and they're about to crush China. The biggest mistake our government ever made was in the '70s Nixon going to China. You want to send real shockwaves The US president should formally visit Taiwan shake their hand in publicly announced a joint defense treaty That's what should happen. Then forward deploy US naval assets in nuclear missile forces onto Taiwan like we did in the good old days.

 

[netman]

"President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed an $8.5 billion critical minerals agreement Monday to secure materials vital for semiconductors, electric vehicles, and defense technologies."

That doesn't mean jacks**t unless US hires China to process Australian minerals for US high demand domestic consumption...!

... And that never gonna happen...!

 

[Eldrach]

Both China and Russia purchased significant amounts of gold during and after the lockdowns, so that's probably where the idea comes from.
What's funny about gold is that, had you invested in tech stocks instead, you would have done better. Gold has gone up by 107% since 2018, from 1312 per ounce to 2726. The SnP 500, meanwhile, went from 2,760 to 6,652 in the same timeframe, which is a 141% increase. If you held a mix of stock in top tech companies, you'd be up well over 200%. Microsoft, apple, AMD, nvidia, all of these companies have far outperformed inflation, MS and apple are roughly tied for worse performance with mere 400% gains since 2018.

"going gold" merely means you kneecap your economy's future growth, as you can only grow by acquiring more gold, or debasing the currency. That's why we abandoned the gold standard in the first place.

Well - Gold is much more stable. We're in a massive AI bubble now - and at some point, if you sell at the right point..You've made a pretty penny, if you don't - You'll see a massive loss.
Gold will keep increasing, there's a finite amount of it (like Bitcoin), which means the value will keep increasing and it's also an "accepted global currency". Gold is not a bad investment if your main goal is to keep earning without risk

 

[BobHome]

Yes, bring manufacturing to Australia!

Wait, I thought 'he' said to bring it to America.

 

[Karlos95]

Well - Gold is much more stable. We're in a massive AI bubble now - and at some point, if you sell at the right point..You've made a pretty penny, if you don't - You'll see a massive loss.
Gold will keep increasing, there's a finite amount of it (like Bitcoin), which means the value will keep increasing and it's also an "accepted global currency". Gold is not a bad investment if your main goal is to keep earning without risk

What risk does Bitcoin hold if you plan on holding over 10 years? It has proven itself. If you are looking for quick gains, go buy something more volatile.