Beijing just turned up the heat in the US-China trade war—this time with a weapon the West can’t easily counter. In retaliation for steep tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, Beijing has tightened its grip on rare earth metals—critical ingredients in everything from fighter jets to iPhones. The export restrictions, building on earlier 2023 bans, target the very materials that power modern technology and military hardware. With China commanding 60% of global rare earth mining and an even more staggering 90% of processing, the message is unmistakable: in the high-stakes game of tech and defense, China isn’t just at the table—it’s dealing the cards.
Deep-sea mining offers a potential avenue to circumvent Chinese dominance in supply chains by opening up the seafloor and the rich masses of copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and other rare earth elements within to extraction. Under the current international law regime established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has the mandate to develop binding regulation and grant deep-sea mining exploration and extraction permits for areas located in international waters.
In a move that received far too little credit, President Donald Trump signed a historic Executive Order to reassert American control over offshore critical minerals and resources. This would allow companies to bypass this system and apply for US deep-sea mining permits for international waters through the Department of Commerce. Further reports that the Trump administration is planning to form stockpiles of rare earth elements to counter Beijing’s stranglehold lend additional credulity to this plan.
This executive order represents a sea change in Washington’s recent positions and seriousness toward deep-sea mining. Historically, the United States resisted UNCLOS in part due to its deep-sea mining provisions. In 2024, Congress required the Pentagon to draft a report on deep-sea mining and its implications for national security; despite a legislative mandate to produce the report by March 2024, the Defense Department has yet to do so.
The White House’s new attention to this topic is a welcome change of pace, as the United States remains critically behind China in advancing deep-sea mining internationally. The United States has not ratified UNCLOS and therefore has no influence at the ISA to determine international regulation nor plead its case for deep-sea mining concessions. China has spent considerable effort to sway the ISA and this policy has already borne fruit; the ISA awarded Chinese deep-sea mining companies five exploration contracts to explore the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a large patch of the Pacific seafloor rich in rare earth minerals.
Beijing is not just content with its domineering lead at the ISA and also seeks to engage the Pacific Island nations in pursuit of bilateral deep-sea mining deals. China and the Cook Islands, a dependency of New Zealand, signed a memorandum of understanding in February 2025 regarding collaboration in research and potential extraction of the Cook Islands’ deep seafloor mineral wealth. The nation of Kiribati confirmed in March that it spoke with China’s ambassador regarding “…potential collaboration for the sustainable exploration of deep ocean resources.” China’s pursuit of bilateral agreements to explore the deep-sea mineral wealth of Pacific Island nations in addition to its dominance in the ISA makes it clear that Beijing seeks to capture yet another component of the global rare earth market, to the detriment of the United States.
In a bold move with far-reaching geopolitical and economic implications, the Trump administration is pressing forward with efforts to access critical deep-sea mineral resources. Officials argue that tapping into these undersea reserves could help the United States narrow China’s substantial lead in the rare earth and critical minerals sector—an area vital to everything from electric vehicles to national defense technologies.
Beyond reducing US dependence on Chinese extraction and refining, proponents of deep-sea mining argue the initiative could spark a wave of domestic innovation and industrial growth. By backing American deep-sea mining firms, the U.S. could not only secure vital materials but also generate thousands of high-paying jobs across exploration, engineering, and technology sectors.
The Metals Company, a Canadian mining firm, is advancing deep-sea initiatives, and points to downstream opportunities in mineral processing and refining—industries that have largely shifted overseas. Rebuilding those capabilities at home could create a robust supply chain ecosystem, revitalize struggling industrial communities, and ensure greater economic resilience in the face of global disruptions.
However, the push is not without controversy. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), environmental groups and scientists warn that large-scale mining operations in deep ocean environments could irreparably harm delicate marine ecosystems. Still, administration officials maintain that a unilateral U.S. approach could strike the right balance between economic development and environmental protection, avoiding both regulatory paralysis and ecological disaster.
As the United weighs this unilateral approach to approving deep-sea mining contracts, urgency should not come at the cost of strategic foresight. While fast-tracking extraction may offer a short-term boost to critical mineral supply chains, it’s not the only—or the most sustainable—path forward. Ratifying the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) would grant the U.S. a seat at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), where it could directly challenge China’s growing dominance in global mining governance. Without a voice at that table, Washington cedes influence in shaping the rules that will govern this vital frontier. The path ahead demands a dual-track approach: assertive action to secure mineral access now, paired with the diplomatic resolve to shape the international framework that governs it tomorrow.
China’s tightening grip on rare earth mineral exports poses a growing threat to America’s supply chain security and global influence, prompting calls for a bold response from Washington. With critical materials powering everything from advanced weapons systems to smartphones, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The U.S. might be reading the room, but China’s already shuffled for the next round.
James Borton is a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins SAIS Foreign Policy Institute and the author of Dispatches from the South China Sea: Navigating to Common Ground.
David Hessen is the managing editor of the South China Sea Newswire and a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
The views expressed in this article belong to the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect those of Geopoliticalmonitor.com.
