The U.S. on Wednesday unveiled new initiatives to mobilize allies into a preferential trade bloc for critical minerals, including coordinated price floors as Washington works to counter China’s dominance in the market vital for technology and defense. The plans were discussed at a “Critical Minerals Ministerial” in Washington this week that included representatives from 54 countries, the European Union and senior Trump administration officials. Following the event, Washington announced that it had signed bilateral critical minerals agreements with 11 countries, building on 10 similar pacts inked over the past five ... (full story)