General Discussions, page-12157

https://www.mining-technology.com/analysis/the-pentagon-sets-it-sights-on-australias-critical-minerals/

Last year, the US Department of Defense (DoD) noted that this concentration of supply in China ”creates risk of disruption and of politicised trade practices, including the use of forced labour”, adding that the civilian economy would ”bear the brunt of the harm from a supply disruption event.” Alongside these admirable concerns, there is a more cynical aspect that the US is, perhaps not unreasonably, fearful of Chinese strength as mining becomes increasingly defined by resource nationalism.

Australia, which is a key producer of most of these strategic minerals, could stand to benefit from the US’s need to diversify its supply away from China. Earlier this year, the DoD asked Congress to let it fund facilities in Australia, and the UK, that process critical minerals.