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<p>Scott Bessent gathers 11 finance ministers and EU officials as China’s 87% rare earth refining grip and record silver prices expose fresh U.S. supply‑chain risk.</p>
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   <li>U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met 11 finance ministers, an EU commissioner and trade officials to discuss mineral supply constraints.<a href="https://crypto.news/wp/wp-admin/post.php?post=14444502&amp;action=edit" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"></a>​</li>
   <li>China now refines up to 87% of global rare earths, while silver trades at record highs, underscoring leverage over strategic and industrial inputs.​</li>
   <li>No new policies emerged, but the Trump administration is using rare earths talks to tackle national‑security risks in tech, defense and manufacturing supply chains.​</li>
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<p>U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent convened a meeting with global finance ministers on Monday to address concerns over mineral supply constraints, according to reports.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-urges-partners-allies-increase-critical-minerals-supply-chain-resiliency-2026-01-12/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">meeting</a> brought together finance ministers from 11 countries, a European Union commissioner, and U.S. trade officials to discuss the matter, the reports stated.</p>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="rare-earths-in-china-and-what-it-means-for-the-crypto-market">Rare earths in China and what it means for the crypto market</h2>
<p>The gathering comes as China refines up to 87% of the world’s rare earth minerals, according to industry data. Silver prices have reached record levels in recent trading sessions, market data showed.</p>
<p>You might also like: <a href="https://crypto.news/cpi-at-2-7-what-doe-sticky-us-inflation-mean-for-the-crypto-market/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> CPI at 2.7%: what doe sticky US Inflation mean for the crypto market? </a></p>
<p>The meeting focused on coordination among allied nations regarding mineral supply chains and China’s dominant position in rare earth processing, according to sources familiar with the discussions.</p>
<p>No immediate policy announcements emerged from the Monday session. Representatives from the Treasury Department did not provide additional comment on the meeting’s outcomes.</p>
<p>The rare earth minerals discussion represents the latest effort by the Trump administration to address supply chain vulnerabilities in critical materials used in technology, defense, and manufacturing sectors.</p>
<p>From a crypto angle, supply‑chain stress <a href="https://crypto.news/bitcoin-bust-gold-silver-attract-safe-haven-flows/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">historically</a> correlates with:</p>
<ul>
 <li>Bid in <a href="https://crypto.news/bitcoin-silver-price-ratio-signals-shift-risk-appetite/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">hard‑asset proxies</a> (gold, silver, sometimes BTC) when policy uncertainty rises.​</li>
 <li>Narrative tailwinds for “real‑world assets” and <a href="https://crypto.news/defi-platform-salus-brings-critical-minerals-to-iota-chain/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">tokenized commodities</a> like the Salus and SAGINT mineral deals on IOTA and Sui.​</li>
 <li>Higher sensitivity of BTC to trade and tariff headlines, as seen when Trump’s earlier China tariffs triggered sharp crypto drawdowns before détente rallies reversed them.</li>
</ul>
<p>Read more: <a href="https://crypto.news/decembers-910b-crypto-flush-separates-pros-from-panic%e2%80%91selling-tourists-finestel/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> December’s $910B crypto flush separates pros from panic‑selling tourists: Finestel </a></p>

U.S. allies huddle on rare earth squeeze as China refines 87% of supply, what does it mean for crypto?

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