Trump Says US Rare Earths ‘Emergency Program’ Will End China Dependency Within 18 Months

President Donald Trump has said that the United States would end its dependence on China for rare-earth minerals within 18 months under an “emergency program” to build domestic and allied supply chains, describing the initiative as a key national security priority following Beijing’s recent export restrictions. In a Nov. 2 interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Trump said his administration’s new rare-earth plan would ensure that the United States can meet all its industrial and defense needs in less than two years, citing new partnerships with Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom. “Within a short period of time, we’ll have everything we need for ourselves,” the president said. “We’ve instituted an emergency program, and we will have—within a year from now to a year and a half—we’ll have everything we need, no matter what kind of a threat is being [made].”...