The Donald Trump administration’s strategic interest in rare earths is pushing the US towards more pragmatic diplomacy as it seeks to rebuild critical mineral supply chains that pivot away from China, according to observers.

The shift has yielded cooperation on resource projects even when broader political ties are strained, they added, saying it highlighted Washington’s eagerness to secure alternative supplies even though Beijing’s dominance in the supply chain appeared too strong to break soon.

One example is the Phalaborwa Rare Earths Project in South Africa, which recently received US$50 million in equity funding from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the American federal government’s development bank.

Proposed during the Joe Biden administration in 2023, the deal has advanced at a time of frayed relations between Washington and Pretoria as Trump has accused South Africa of persecuting its white minority, allegations rejected by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Rainbow Rare Earths, a London-listed mining company helping to develop the deal, said the Phalaborwa project was designed to extract rare earths from mining waste and expected to deliver some highly sought-after minerals.