Germany voices support for US critical minerals initiative

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - Germany on Wednesday expressed support for a new US-led initiative aimed at reducing dependence on China and strengthening critical minerals supply chains.

German Deputy Foreign Minister Florian Hahn said he’ll be attending today the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial, which will be hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, D.C.

“The German government expressly welcomes the US commitment to closer dialogue with Europe and other partners on the highly important issue of critical raw materials,” Hahn said, adding that securing access to rare earths is central to Germany's competitiveness and security.

“In light of growing geopolitical and geoeconomic tensions and the instrumentalization of dependencies, the German government is giving top priority to supporting businesses in securing and diversifying their raw material supplies. One key element of this is reducing German and European dependencies and actively developing new collaborations,” he said.

The US State Department announced the initiative last month, stating that the inaugural ministerial meeting on Feb. 4 will build momentum for collaboration to secure critical mineral supply chains—which it described as "vital to America's economic and national security, technological leadership, and a resilient energy future."

Delegations from over 50 nations are expected to attend the meeting.