Brazil demands rare earths be processed at home as US and China compete

AdvertisementChina-Latin America relationsChinaBrazil demands rare earths be processed at home as US and China competeMove comes as Washington locks US$565 million deal with Brazil’s only operating rare earth mine 3-MIN READ3-MIN2 ListenIgor Patrickin Rio de JaneiroPublished: 1:37am, 15 Apr 2026Brazil will require foreign partners to process rare earth minerals domestically as a condition for access to its reserves, a senior government official said this week, setting terms that could reshape how Chinese and Western firms compete for resources the country has long exported raw. “Our doors of Brazil to foreign investment are open, but our position has matured,” Leonardo Durans, a senior official at Brazil’s industry ministry, said at a press conference with international media on Monday. “The commitment we will demand from everyone is domestic technological development and job creation.” AdvertisementAsked whether the policy would force Brazil to pick sides in the US-China rivalry over critical minerals, Durans pushed back.“We are open to the United States, the European Union and China. We will talk to everyone,” he said. AdvertisementBrazil holds about 10 per cent of global critical mineral reserves, with the world’s second-largest reserves of rare earths and graphite, and third-largest of nickel. AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x