# US announces $3 billion plan to cut mineral reliance on China 2026-08-08T16:45:28+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet U.S. President Donald Trump announced $3 billion in federal investments for critical minerals and battery projects at a State Department roundtable on Friday, aiming to cut dependence on Chinese supply chains and replenish weapons stockpiles depleted during the Iran conflict. The package includes a $1.4 billion conditional loan from the Defence Department to Sila Nanotechnologies for lithium-ion battery parts, $400 million for an Australian scandium project, $150 million for Niron Magnetics, and over $180 million for mining education. The event gathered over 200 mining executives, including Rio Tinto, BHP, and MP Materials. Trump said the projects would “create thousands of jobs” and make America “never again reliant on hostile foreign nations.” The push comes ahead of a planned visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September, though rare earths remain a source of tension between the two economies. The U.S. has previously committed over $10 billion to build a mine-to-magnet supply chain independent of China. ## Coverage - economictimes.indiatimes.com - hindustantimes.com Tags: China competition, critical minerals, Donald Trump, rare earths, strategic stockpile, US mining policy Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/trump-announces-3-billion-for-critical-minerals-to-counter-china/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/trump-announces-3-billion-for-critical-minerals-to-counter-china/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.