澳大利亚与美国签署了一份关于关键矿产的供应协议，以削弱中国对稀土的控制。
2019年11月19日，澳大利亚联邦矿产资源部长马特·卡纳万宣布，澳大利亚地球科学所和美国地质调查局已经签署了一项协议，双方现在将评估每个国家的资源潜力，并开发新的供应端。
卡纳万表示，在这一合作协议中，澳大利亚将为美国等急需关键矿产的国家提供‘粮食’。
该协议是在12个月前签署的一份非正式协议基础上达成的，并将纳入联邦政府今年早些时候发布的关键矿产战略。
北矿（Northern Minerals）和Lynas公司（Lynas Corporation）等西澳大利亚稀土矿商与美国政府代表团一道，讨论关键矿产供应问题。
美国矿业与能源商会（Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA）首席执行官保罗埃弗林厄姆（Paul Everingham）表示，这项协议可能为西澳大利亚资源行业的进一步发展奠定基础。
Australia and the US' respective geoscience agencies have inked a formal agreement on critical minerals supply in an effort to weaken China's stranglehold on rare earths essential for modern technologies.
On Tuesday, Federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan announced an agreement had been signed between Geoscience Australia and the United States Geological Survey, which will now assess each country’s resource potential and develop new supply.
Mr Canavan said the partnership would see Australia feed critical mineral-hungry countries such as the US.
The agreement follows on from an informal agreement between the agencies signed 12 months ago and will feed into the federal government's critical minerals strategy released earlier this year.
West Australian rare earth miners such as Northern Minerals and Lynas Corporation, which runs the biggest rare earths mine outside of China, joined government delegations to the US to discuss critical mineral supply.
Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA chief executive Paul Everingham said the agreement could underpin the next wave of WA’s resources sector development.