US admits defeat in China minerals race. Can Brazil turn panic into processing power?

Brazilian Mines and Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira revealed that US President Donald Trump and his team conceded during White House talks in May that the United States had lost the critical minerals race to China.

The minister made the disclosure in an unscripted speech on Monday to Exposibram, the industry conference run by the Brazilian Mining Institute, in the state of Minas Gerais, responsible for more than 40 per cent of national mineral output.

But as the US pours billions of dollars...