President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed an $8.5 billion critical-minerals agreement at the White House, positioning Australia’s rare-earth supplies to blunt China’s tightening export rules. The White House cast the deal as months in the making and a step toward reducing supply-chain risk, with officials citing Australia’s mining strengths. Analysts said U.S. firms could tap Australian output soon, but breaking China’s dominance will take years; over $3 billion in joint projects is expected within six months. The leaders also discussed AUKUS, while Trump plans to meet China’s Xi later this month.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.