mineral

The Southeast Asian nations also agreed to facilitate U.S. access to critical minerals and not impose regulations or fines that target U.S. tech firms.

In contrast, conventional semiconductors often require rare minerals and large amounts of energy to manufacture and operate.

A non-binding memorandum of understanding with Thailand outlines measures to increase cooperation on trading rare earth minerals, which are vital to tech products and of which China is the world's leading producer.

Division and suspicion have gripped five villages near Kenya's coast as global powers from the United States to China eye a forest that is rich in rare earths -- minerals vital to high-tech and low-carbon industries.

That is why he has been leveraging China's stranglehold on rare earths, the minerals without which you cannot make semiconductors, weapons systems, cars or even smartphones.