State media highlights that PT has not signed an alliance with the US for rare earths and keeps the door open for a Chinese partnership
The Chinese state newspaper reported the president’s (PT) meeting with the North American leader (Republican Party) on Thursday (May 7, 2026) in Washington. The assessment is that the result of the meeting was positive for China, as Lula declared that he had no intention of giving preference to the United States in access to critical Brazilian minerals.
According to an expert consulted by Global Timesthe Brazilian president resisted Trump’s pressure for an agreement to export rare earths to the USA, which would give the North Americans an advantage in setting up their mining chain for critical minerals. after the meeting with Trump, which lasted 3 hours.
“Lula’s stance highlighted Brazil’s determination to resist US pressure and maintain its strategic autonomy. Rather than joining an exclusive US-led rare earths alliance, Brazil is positioning itself as an independent industrial actor, leveraging its natural resource advantages to go beyond its traditional role as a passive raw material exporter”said Zhang Xiaorong, director of the Research Institute of Cutting-edge Technology to the Global Times.
What are rare earths
A group of 17 chemical elements with a small but irreplaceable role in many modern technological products, such as smartphones, digital cameras and LEDs.
Owner of the 2nd largest rare earth reserves in the world – according to data from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) – Brazil is coveted by the USA and China in terms of alliances for the extraction and refining of ores. The scenario is more urgent for the USA, which sees the country as an ideal partner due to its geographic proximity to boost its mining industry.
The Asian country, in turn, controls around 90% of the refining and processing of rare earths and has the largest mineral reserves in the world. Even with a considerable advantage over the US, the Chinese also see Brazil as essential to keeping the US from challenging their dominance.
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