Australia and the United States have signed an $8.5 billion deal on critical minerals and rare earths. The signing came at a White House meeting, which also included news directly affecting Hawaiʻi.
It was one of those wide-ranging mini news conferences that President Trump likes to have with foreign leaders and their traveling media cohorts.
The centerpiece: a document signing about minerals and rare earth metals, a critical part of high-tech items from semiconductors to fighter jets.
China controls most of the global supply and recently announced plans to greatly restrict access.
Australia has mineral resources, including rare earths, and the capacity to process them.
Mutual investments will open what Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called an “$8.5 billion pipeline.”
But the main headline for many interested in security issues in the Indo-Pacific was President Trump's unmistakable endorsement of the submarine deal known as AUKUS.
The long-term plan involves the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom and is designed to help Australia deploy a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, starting with the sale of three U.S. Virginia-class submarines beginning in 2032.
Backers of AUKUS call it a crucial step in countering Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific.
Critics say the U.S. should be retaining submarines rather than selling them.
Trump's remarks were his first public comments on the status of the deal, and became instant headline news in Australia.
Training, instruction and other aspects of the AUKUS deal are planned to take place at Pearl Harbor.
