‘Counter China’: Trump signs EO to expand deep-sea mining

President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) on Thursday to promote the deep-sea mining industry, marking the latest effort to increase U.S. production of key minerals like nickel, copper and others essential to the economy.

The order directs the government to hasten the permitting process to “ensure efficiency, predictability, and competitiveness for American companies” in this industry as part of a broader effort to “counter China’s growing influence over seabed mineral resources” and position the U.S. as a “global leader in critical minerals.”

“The United States has a core national security and economic interest in maintaining leadership in deep sea science and technology and seabed mineral resources,” the order reads. “Our Nation must take immediate action to accelerate the responsible development of seabed mineral resources, quantify the Nation’s endowment of seabed minerals, reinvigorate American leadership in associated extraction and processing technologies, and ensure secure supply chains for our defense, infrastructure, and energy sectors,” the order continues.

Today’s @POTUS executive order makes it clear: the United States – not China – will lead the world in responsibly unlocking seabed mineral resources and securing critical mineral supply chains with our partners and allies.

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) April 24, 2025

“The United States – not China – will lead the world in responsibly unlocking seabed mineral resources and securing critical mineral supply chains with our partners and allies,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X following the order.

Rare earth elements are critical components in a wide range of advanced technologies, including computer chips, automotive parts and numerous electronic applications.

Chinese mining companies have been saturating the market with low-cost rare earth metals — particularly lithium — effectively squeezing out competitors by maintaining prices at unsustainably low levels, a U.S. official told Reuters in October.

“Should the United States lose access to processed critical minerals from foreign sources, the United States commercial and defense manufacturing base for derivative products could face significant shortages and an inability to meet demand,” an April 15 executive order on critical minerals reads.

The White House declined to comment and instead referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to the EO and its factsheet. The Chinese embassy did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment in time for publication.

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