US–Australia Rare Earths Accord Disheartens the CCP
President Donald Trump (R) speaks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington on Oct. 20, 2025. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 20 acted to disrupt the Fourth Plenum of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by announcing a U.S. way around the CCP’s ace negotiating position: the control of the export of rare earths and critical minerals to the United States and the West.
Gregory Copley
Author
Gregory Copley is president of the Washington-based International Strategic Studies Association and editor-in-chief of the “Defense & Foreign Affairs” series of publications. Born in Australia, Copley is an entrepreneur, writer, government adviser, defense publication editor, and Member of the Order of Australia. His latest and 37th book is “The Noble State: Governance Options in an Ignoble Era.”
