US awaits Brazil's response on critical minerals cooperation deal

The United States has yet to receive a reply from Brazil on two separate proposals to establish formal cooperation on critical minerals, a senior American diplomat disclosed at Latin America's largest mining conference this week.

A draft framework agreement dispatched to Brasília in February remains unanswered, diplomat Lowe told attendees at Exposibram in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday. He predicted negotiations would stall until after Brazil's presidential election in October.

Washington struggles where others succeed

The impasse leaves the US without a bilateral minerals pact even as governments from France, Canada, Australia and Britain have already secured the type of agreement that continues to elude Washington. Lowe made his remarks during a panel that also featured officials from those four nations, all of whom have completed similar deals with Brazil.

China's shadow over supply chains

The five countries spent the session outlining strategies to reduce China's dominance in mineral processing, though they avoided directly naming Beijing. The lack of Brazilian engagement comes as the US races to build rare earth supply chains independent of China.

Despite the diplomatic silence, a US-backed acquisition of rare earth assets in Brazil is approaching completion. The transaction signals continued American interest in securing access to Brazil's mineral resources, even without a formal government-to-government framework in place.

The conference, organised by the Brazilian Mining Institute, provided a rare public acknowledgment of the stalled talks between the two largest economies in the Americas.

Source: South China Morning Post