US, Norway Eye Critical Minerals Cooperation as China Warns Against ‘Exclusive Blocs’

Chinese outlets depict US critical minerals diplomacy as an attempt to build an exclusive geopolitical bloc aimed at containing China’s industrial rise. They attribute responsibility to Washington for politicizing supply chains and pressuring partners like New Zealand into opaque arrangements. They argue that China remains structurally dominant in processing and technology, predicting that US-led efforts will struggle to displace China’s role and may fragment global trade norms.

• •Chinese commentary characterizes US efforts to rally a ‘global critical minerals bloc’ as exclusionary and politically motivated rather than driven by market efficiency.
• •Beijing-linked sources assert that China is largely unfazed because it retains entrenched advantages in processing capacity, integrated supply chains, and cost structures for rare earths and other minerals.
• •Chinese media highlight criticism in New Zealand over ‘secret’ talks with the US as evidence that US pressure can undermine transparency and domestic consensus in partner countries.
• •They argue that US attempts to set mechanisms like price floors and exclusive partnerships risk distorting markets and could provoke retaliatory measures or counter-blocs.
• •Chinese narratives suggest that cooperation with China on critical minerals, rather than decoupling, would provide more stable and cost-effective outcomes for global industries.