Tucked under layers of clay and rock, Brazil has a bounty that much of the world covets: millions of tons of rare earth minerals needed to build drones and robots, electric cars and guided missiles.
For years Brazil and the United States have quietly discussed how American investment and assistance could help the South American country unlock these vast reserves of rare earths, the world’s second largest.
But now, the diplomatic crisis between the Western Hemisphere’s two largest nations risks derailing years of U.S. efforts to secure access to Brazilian rare earths.
By loosening China’s grip on strategic minerals crucial to the economies and battlefields of the future, both nations stood to gain from such an alliance, according to current Brazilian and former U.S. officials.
American support could help Brazil become a global powerhouse in the extraction and processing of rare earths. And Brazilian rare earths could reduce American dependence on China, which controls about 90 percent of world supplies — and has shown itself willing to withhold them.
The talks about this alliance, which have not been previously reported, were at an early stage. Then, Brazil’s rare earths were suddenly thrust into the bitter trade dispute between the two countries that erupted last month.
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The post Brazil Wanted America’s Help Mining Rare Earths. Then Came Tariffs. appeared first on New York Times.
