The US and Australia sign a key mineral protocol, and Trump says that rare earths and minerals will be so abundant that they will be overwhelming.

Jin10 data, October 21 - U.S. President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Albanese signed a protocol on rare earths and critical minerals at the White House on Monday. Albanese described it as a “ready-to-go cooperation project” worth $8.5 billion. As part of the protocol, both sides agreed to streamline the approval processes for mining, processing facilities, and related operations to increase the output of rare earths and critical minerals. Trump stated, “In about a year, we will have so many critical minerals and rare earths that you won't know how to deal with them.” The White House stated that the U.S. government and the Australian government plan to jointly invest over $3 billion in critical mineral projects in the next six months, with estimated recoverable resources valued at $53 billion. The White House noted that the Pentagon will invest in the construction of a gallium processing plant with an annual capacity of 100 tons in Western Australia.