China on mind, US and Japan sign rare earths deal during Trump’s Tokyo visit

TOKYO: Emphasizing that the bilateral relationship between Japan and the United States has now become "the greatest alliance in the world", Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday pledged to build with visiting US President Donald Trump a "new golden era" of partnership between the two countries.

Trump and Takaichi met in Tokyo on Monday for the Japan-US Summit meeting during which they finalised the signing of various agreements to bolster cooperation in the fields of defence and economy.

It also included a 'United States-Japan Framework For Securing the Supply of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths through Mining and Processing' which intends to support the supply of raw and processed critical minerals and rare earths crucial to the domestic industries of the United States and Japan.

"The Participants are intensifying their cooperative efforts to accelerate the secure supply of critical minerals and rare earths necessary to support domestic industries, including advanced technologies and their respective industrial bases, by leveraging policy tools such as the United States' and Japan's financial support mechanisms, trade measures where appropriate, and critical minerals stockpiling systems," read a statement issued by the White House. It mentioned that both countries will intensify efforts to promote dialogue amongst upstream and downstream companies to facilitate the diversification of supply chains.

"I held a summit meeting and a signing ceremony with President Trump of the United States. I expressed my determination to restore robust Japanese diplomacy with the Japan-US Alliance as its cornerstone. President Trump and I agreed to strongly advance a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIPC)," the Japanese PM's office quoted Takaichi as saying after the meeting. (IANS)

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