The Trump administration is looking at adopting a tool more familiar to Wall Street than Washington, as it seeks equity holdings in producers of critical minerals to bolster supply chains deemed essential to national security…The message communicated to the mining firms shows how far President Donald Trump’s administration is willing to go in deploying tools seldom used by the government to build a domestic supply chain for minerals vital in defense and other industries, amid concern China has a stranglehold on some of them…It also bolsters the idea that the Pentagon’s unprecedented purchase of a $400 million stake in rare earth producer MP Materials Corp. earlier this year is a blueprint for future deals, employing tools typically used by financiers… “A priority of President Trump’s energy dominance agenda is to build the strongest mining sector in the world and boost the production of critical minerals which will strengthen our economic and national security.”…Critical minerals are another top priority in the campaign. China rattled the US earlier this year when it imposed export controls for rare earths and so-called permanent magnets, some of which are vital for defense applications. Trade tensions have eased since then, but many American firms are still complaining that Chinese mineral imports are arriving at a snail’s pace…The meetings with foreign companies further show a willingness by the administration to invest overseas.

The anti-involution drive expands to non-ferrous metals, as Beijing prioritises quality over quantity…China has announced production curbs in its strategic non-ferrous metals sector, the latest step in Beijing’s drive to rein in cutthroat competition and boost industrial efficiency…In a new action plan the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has projected output growth of 1.5 per cent for primary non-ferrous metals this year, down from 4.3 per cent last year…The initiative expands Beijing’s campaign against “involution”, or neijuan in Chinese – a self-defeating cycle of intensifying competition that erodes profits and stifles innovation across industries, including photovoltaics, wind power, petrochemicals, steel and metal smelting…Instead of setting a target to produce more of the metals, the ministry stressed optimising the industrial structure to achieve an average annual growth rate of about 5 per cent in value-added output…The plan also calls for advances in the exploration of copper, aluminium, lithium, nickel, cobalt and tin, as well as the development of ultra-pure metals and advanced rare earth materials alongside enhanced recycling of used batteries and solar panels.

Ford CEO Jim Farley says there's barely any contest between Chinese and American automakers when it comes to dominating in EVs…"The competitive reality is that the Chinese are the 700-pound gorilla in the EV industry," Farley told The Verge's "Decoder" podcast in an episode that aired Monday…"There's no real competition from Tesla, GM, or Ford with what we've seen from China. It is completely dominating the EV landscape globally and more and more outside of China," he added…Representatives for Farley at Ford did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider…Farley told guest host and journalist Joanna Stern that China's dominance in the industry stemmed from the generous government support its automakers enjoyed…"China's successful for good reason. It has great innovation at a very low cost," Farley said…"There's hundreds of companies, and they're all sponsored by their local governments, so they have huge subsidies. It's new brands. It's BYD and Geely, and companies like Nio and Xiaomi, many of which have never been in the car business before, and that's a big advantage for them," he added.

China will tighten the rules for exporting electric vehicles by requiring automakers to obtain export permits from next year, the Commerce Ministry said Friday…The controls come as Beijing is trying to rein in the electric vehicle sector in the world’s largest auto market…The United States and European Union members are among countries to have imposed tariffs on made-in-China electric vehicles, saying that government subsidies have given them an unfair advantage…In recent months, Beijing has been trying to address concerns about oversupply and a debilitating price war between its EV makers…Nevertheless, China’s domestic EV sector saw record sales in the first half of 2025, with EVs making up more than 50% of total passenger vehicle sales.

Aluminium made with renewable power and from recycling is helping luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz cut CO2 emissions in the production of its new line of electric vehicles, part of a wider effort to decarbonise operations, executives told Reuters…The collaboration is an example of how makers of premium consumer products may pay extra for raw materials in return for a more environmentally friendly profile, executives of both companies said…"There are of course extra costs from using an especially low-carbon steel or aluminium," said Gunnar Guthenke, vice president of Mercedes-Benz' procurement and supplier quality. "Sustainability and desirable products, such as the ones we produce, simply go hand in hand," he said…The metal's price premium is also not deterring buyers, even in a more difficult market for aluminium seen in recent years marked by low economic growth, he added. "We are seeing a growing demand for low-carbon products," Kallevik said.

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