The United States is developing plans with Mexico, the European Union and Japan to implement minimum prices for critical minerals, the U.S. Trade Representative said Wednesday…Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the potential partnership would “address global market distortions that have left North American critical minerals supply chains vulnerable to disruptions.”…The U.S. and Mexico will explore ways to implement price floors for critical mineral imports, and will discuss how to implement those minimum prices in agreements with other nations, an official in the Trade Representative’s office said…Separately, the U.S. is working with the EU and Japan to develop a strategic partnership on critical minerals that could also include price floors. The U.S. and the EU plan a memorandum of understanding on critical mineral supply chain security in the next 30 days….Greer said cooperation with the EU and Japan signals “that the world’s largest market-oriented economies are committed to developing a new paradigm for preferential trade in critical minerals.”…The Trump administration has put critical minerals at the center of its trade and industrial policies in an effort to reduce dependence on China. Beijing dominates the global supply chain and tried to cut off exports of rare earths, a subset of the minerals that are used in everything from munitions to consumer electronics, during trade disputes with the U.S. last year…The Pentagon struck a landmark deal with MP Materials last July that included a price floor and offtake agreement in addition to an equity position. The Commerce Department announced plans last week to provide USA Rare Earth with financing in exchange for an equity holding, subject to certain conditions.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand was in Washington on Wednesday as the Trump administration made a case for international partners to join a preferential trade zone for critical minerals with forced price floors…Ending China's stranglehold on rare earth minerals became a key U.S. priority last year after U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his trade war between the world's two largest economies by imposing massive tariffs. Beijing responded with retaliatory duties and export restrictions on various critical mineral exports to the U.S., causing anxiety throughout supply chains…Vance said the United States will establish reference prices for critical materials at each stage of production that reflect "real world fair market value."…"And for members of the preferential zone, these reference prices will operate as a floor maintained through adjustable tariffs to uphold pricing integrity," he said…Countries that join would get a foundation for private financing, Vance said, and would secure access to "the critical mineral supplies your nation would require in an emergency or some other contingency."…U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told foreign officials "everyone here has a role to play," whether it's mining or refining. He said an international effort would be essential for success…Canada and the U.S. Department of Defense already have a co-investment deal to accelerate Canadian mining development and strengthen critical minerals supply chains.

Senators will introduce legislation on Wednesday to reauthorize funding for the United States Export-Import Bank for the next decade, as lawmakers try to inject an extra $70 billion into the agency to support U.S. President Donald Trump's critical minerals push, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday…Cramer also told the newspaper that he would advocate for Ex-Im's lending cap to be lifted from $135 billion to $205 billion as part of the reauthorization package, stating that "The Export-Import Bank makes some un-doable deals doable. I think the president, as a matter of business acumen, understands that."…The United States will host more than 50 countries on Wednesday for talks aimed at boosting their access to critical minerals, in a bid to loosen China's grip over vital industrial inputs that has allowed it to control global supply chains.

Glencore has entered a non-binding agreement to sell a 40% stake in its mine assets in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Orion Critical Mineral Consortium (Orion CMC)…Glencore currently operates the Mutanda and Kamoto mines in DRC’s Lualaba province — both large-scale producers of copper cathodes and cobalt hydroxide. Last year, they produced 247,800 tonnes of copper — roughly 30% of the group’s global output — and 35,100 tonnes of cobalt…Under the proposed deal, Orion CMC would acquire 40% of Mutanda Mining (MUMI) and Kamoto Copper Company (KCC), both majority held by Glencore (95% and 75% respectively), for a total enterprise value of $9 billion…Orion CMC was established by Orion Resource Partners last October with the backing of Abu Dhabi’s ADQ and the US International Development Finance Corp. (DFC). Together, the parties sought to invest upwards of $5 billion to support the US and its allies in their critical minerals push…They will also look to acquire additional critical mineral projects and assets in the DRC and the African copper belt more broadly, it said…US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said the proposed transaction between Orion CMC and Glencore “reflects the core objectives of the US-DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement by encouraging greater US investment in the DRC’s mining sector and promoting secure, reliable, and mutually beneficial flows of critical minerals between our two countries.”