The United States and European Union on Friday released an action plan to coordinate trade policies and measures on critical minerals supply chains, with a view to concluding a binding plurilateral agreement at a future date.
The partnership involves a memorandum of understanding signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic. Both sides will seek to cooperate on areas ranging from minerals exploration and extraction to recycling.
This deepened coordination is part of a broader push by Western allies to loosen China's grip on materials crucial to advanced manufacturing.
Beijing has restricted exports of critical minerals needed for key industries, including defense, as well as products like semiconductors and electric vehicle batteries.