U.S. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hold a summit at the White House on October 20 last year (local time) and jointly sign the 'U.S.-Australia Framework for Securing Stable Supply Chains for Critical Minerals and Rare Earths.' [AP=Yonhap News] 

The Trump administration in the United States plans to invest $12 billion (approximately 17.469 trillion won) in a project to strategically stockpile critical minerals.

This move is interpreted as an effort to reduce dependence on China for critical minerals and strengthen supply chain stability.

The project, named 'Project Vault,' will be funded initially with a $10 billion loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) and approximately $1.67 billion in private capital, as reported by U.S. media outlets including the Associated Press on the 2nd (local time).

The critical minerals stockpiled through this project will serve to protect manufacturers of automobiles, electronics, and other goods from the maximum impact in case of supply chain disruptions in the future.

This information was first reported by Bloomberg News, and a White House official later officially confirmed the project's advancement.

During the U.S.-China trade dispute last year, China used export controls on critical minerals such as rare earths as leverage.

Rare earths are essential materials for advanced technology sectors and the defense industry, with China controlling about 70% of global production and over 80% of refining and processing.

The Trump administration has been striving to diversify supply sources by agreeing to 'strengthen cooperation on critical minerals' with countries rich in critical minerals, such as Australia.

This is analyzed as an intention to weaken China's negotiating power, which has used rare earth export controls as leverage in trade negotiations with the U.S., and to strengthen U.S. supply chain leadership.

The U.S. Department of State is scheduled to host a ministerial-level meeting on critical minerals on the 4th, involving foreign ministers from allied nations including South Korea. Discussions are expected to focus on diversifying and strengthening critical mineral supply chains.

Meanwhile, President Trump is scheduled to meet with Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors (GM), and Robert Friedland, a global mining investor, on the same day, according to the Associated Press.