At the heart of this strategy lies one simple fact: whoever controls critical minerals today controls tomorrow’s economy, defense, and technology…On one side of the world, the US recently inked a landmark minerals deal with Ukraine—a memorandum of intent that opens the door to long-term US access to the country’s vast mineral reserves…Simultaneously, in Central Africa, Erik Prince—the founder of Blackwater and a close ally of Trump—has struck a separate arrangement with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)…His mission? Help Kinshasa regain control over its sprawling but poorly regulated mining sector. Sources indicate that Erik’s team will provide assistance in taxation and security, laying the groundwork for a proposed “minerals-for-security” deal that could see US military or logistical support flow into the region in exchange for access to cobalt and other strategic metals…These deals are just the latest chapters in Washington’s accelerating campaign to break free from China’s chokehold on critical mineral supply chains…Earlier this month, Uzbekistan announced fresh agreements with US firms to develop its lithium, cobalt, and copper reserves—essential inputs for electric vehicles and solar panels…At the heart of this global pivot lies the Mineral Security Partnership (MSP)—a U.S.-led alliance of 14 countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, and the European Union. India also joined the MSP in 2023, ensuring sustainable mineral supply chains…Its mission? To build a resilient, diversified, and environmentally responsible supply chain for minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements…These minerals power everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to semiconductors and missile systems. And today, nearly all roads to those resources run through one gatekeeper: China…Beijing doesn’t just dig up minerals—it dominates the entire processing chain…In short, China doesn’t just dig up the future—it refines it, builds it, and, if needed, could stop it in its tracks…As global demand surges and terrestrial resources become increasingly scarce, the US is now eyeing deep-sea mining, targeting copper, cobalt, and lithium hidden on the Pacific Ocean floor…At the heart of America’s mineral diplomacy lies a pressing objective: to break its strategic dependence on China, the undisputed titan of critical mineral production and processing. As the US accelerates its shift toward green energy, securing a stable supply of these minerals is not just a matter of smart economics—it’s a matter of national security.

For any item on the control list, exporters must apply for licenses, an opaque process which allows Beijing to exert the dominance it has built for years over the mining and processing of important minerals…Fresh customs data released on Sunday reinforced a pattern building since controls were imposed: exports are down and some buyers, especially in Europe, are cut out of the supply chain…The pattern across the three metals raises questions about how many export licenses China will approve for the seven rare earth elements it added to the control list this month - and how fast. Exporters say they expect to wait months for licenses and even longer if selling to the United States.

Prominent Trump supporter Erik Prince has agreed to help Democratic Republic of Congo secure and tax its vast mineral wealth, according to two sources close to the private security executive, a Congolese government official and two diplomats…The agreement, aimed at reaping more revenue from an industry marred by smuggling and corruption, was reached before Rwanda-backed M23 rebels launched a major offensive in January that has seen them seize eastern Congo's two largest cities…The discussions now on implementing the deal with Prince come as the U.S. and Congo explore a broader deal on critical minerals partnerships, after Congo pitched a minerals-for-security deal to U.S. President Donald Trump's administration….The agreement between Congo and Prince initially involved a plan to deploy contractors to Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and the largest city in eastern Congo. But Goma is now under M23 control and that plan has been put on hold. M23 controls tracts of mineral-rich territory…A source close to the Congolese government told Reuters an initial deployment of Prince's advisers was expected to start in the south, far from the area controlled by M23 and its allies…"If you just look at Katanga, if you look at Kolwezi down just off the Zambian-Congo border, they claim that there's like $40 million a month in lost revenue of what's going out and what's coming in," the source said…The two sources close to Prince said the new agreement followed years of talks over how to improve Congo's control over its mineral resources…That loss of mining revenue is one of the key concerns that Prince's team will seek to address, one of the sources close to Prince said…The goal is to ensure "that extraction industries and others are operating transparently, and that their production and revenues is properly distributed in accordance with the Congolese mining code", the source said.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has banned the party of former President Joseph Kabila, accusing him of links to the M23 rebel group which has seized large parts of the east of the country this year…The ban comes amid reports that Kabila has returned to the country after spending two years in South Africa…He is said to have returned to the town of Goma, which was seized by the Rwandan-backed M23 in January…On Friday, the government accused Kabila, 53, of high treason and ordered the seizure of all his property…On Saturday, his spokesperson Barbara Nzimbi posted on X that Kabila would be addressing the nation in the coming hours or days…Why has Kabila returned?..In a written statement to announce his forthcoming return, Kabila said it was motivated by a desire to help resolve the worsening institutional and security crisis in DR Congo…But Ben Radley, a political economist and lecturer in international development at Bath University, noted that the leader of the political grouping which includes the M23, Corneille Nangaa, was the head of the electoral commission under Kabila and had been a "close ally"…"In addition, the historical continuity with his father Laurent Kabila, who also entered Congo from the east in the late 1990s in his eventual march to the presidency, is also on the minds of many Congolese," he told the BBC.

Saudi oil giant Aramco signed a joint development agreement with Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD to explore collaboration in the development of new energy vehicle technologies, Aramco said on Monday…The agreement, signed by Aramco unit Saudi Aramco Technologies Company (SATC), aims to enhance vehicle efficiency and environmental performance, as the kingdom steps up efforts to transition toward cleaner mobility…Saudi Arabia has set an ambitious target to increase electric vehicle adoption from 1% to 30% within five years. However, the kingdom faces infrastructure challenges, with only 101 EV charging stations recorded as of 2024.

China's CATL on Monday launched a new brand for its sodium-ion batteries, Naxtra, which it said would go into mass production in December, and a second generation of its fast-charging battery for electric cars…The first production under the Naxtra brand will be of a new sodium-ion battery with an energy density of 175 watt-hours per kilogram, nearly equivalent to the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries popularly used in electric vehicles and grid energy storage systems…CATL's billionaire founder Robin Zeng has said he sees sodium-ion batteries potentially replacing up to half the market for LFP batteries that CATL now dominates.