President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva he told the President of the United States Donald Trump on Thursday that his country’s rare reserves are open to investment from China and any other nation willing to process the minerals on Brazilian soil, resisting pressure to back Washington in its fight with Beijing over key mineral supply chains.
“We are not biased. What we want is to participate with anyone who wants to invest in Brazil,” Lula said in a press conference at the Brazilian embassy in Washington after a three-hour meeting with Trump that took place more than an hour ago.
“Americans, Chinese, Germans, Japanese, French, anyone who wants to participate with us to help us mine, separate and produce the wealth that this rare earth has to offer, are invited.”
Lula said he told Trump that Brazil it had approved a new regulatory framework for precious metals in Congress on the eve of the visit and was treating the sector as a matter of national sovereignty.
He said his government would not repeat what happened to silver, gold and iron ore, resources that Brazil exported raw for decades without capturing industrial value.
“No rare earthwe are going to change our behavior. We want Brazil to be big winners from this wealth that nature gave us,” he said.
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Why the United States is worried about China’s growing influence in South America
Why the United States is worried about China’s growing influence in South America
