U.S. trade chief urges allies to pay more for critical minerals to undermine China

By Aime Williams Financial Times, London Wednesday, April 22 2026 President Trump's top trade official has told U.S. allies they must pay more for critical minerals sourced from outside China as Washington tries to break Beijing's stranglehold on supplies. Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade representative, said American allies must be ready to pay a "national security premium" for the minerals, which would be sourced from within a proposed group of trading partners including Europe. ... Dispatch continues below ... ... ADVERTISEMENT ... Ultra-Secure Swiss Vault Storage from Tara Gold and Silver Ltd. Tara Gold is delighted to announce the launch of our ultra-secure gold and silver secure storage service. GATA followers can now own gold and silver coins and bars -- including the Gold and Silver Trees of Life — with fully segregated, allocated holdings in one of the safest vault providers in Switzerland and the world. All coins and bars are held in your name. Not a paper claim. Not someone else's liability. Real, physical precious metals you can visit, inspect, take delivery of, or sell at any time. Safety, Trust & Privacy: Our Swiss storage partner is Helveticor AG in Zurich. Tara Gold's Mark O'Byrne, after extensive international due diligence, served as Helveticor's global ambassador for two years and stores metal with them personally. He has known the owners and senior staff for 20 years and trusts their vaults implicitly. Your metals there are fully insured and held outside the banking system — no counterparty risk, no digital risk, and no fractional reserving, with complete discreetness and privacy. Liquidity: Switzerland is a primary hub for precious metals. You can sell quickly and competitively, with proceeds transferred directly to your bank account. Tax Efficiency: Gold and silver in Swiss-bonded vaults are exempt from sales taxes. You pay only if you remove bullion from Switzerland. For holdings of $100,000 or more, the combination of security, privacy, liquidity, and tax efficiency makes this a compelling international diversification. For rates, application forms, and all key information, visit here or contact GATA supporter Tara Gold and Silver Ltd.'s Mark O'Byrne at [email protected] or +353-12641850. The U.S. wants the club of countries to trade minerals at set minimum prices to protect their investments in mining and processing, and could hit outside producers -- such as China -- with steep tariffs or other barriers to prevent them driving down prices. But the proposal has already alarmed some allies, according to people familiar with private talks between Washington and foreign officials, who fear the fledgling scheme will raise costs for businesses and attract trade retaliation from China. ... ... For the remainder of the report: https://www.ft.com/content/7c5a8936-9726-4892-9532-d63b07831537?syn-25a6b1a6=1 * * * Support GATA by purchasing Stuart Englert's "Rigged" "Rigged" is a concise explanation of government's currency market rigging policy and extensively credits GATA's work exposing it. Ten percent of sales proceeds are contributed to GATA. Buy a copy for $14.99 through Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/3xt6uw66 * * * Help keep GATA going: GATA is a civil rights and educational organization based in the United States and tax-exempt under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Its e-mail dispatches are free, and you can subscribe at: http://www.gata.org To contribute to GATA, please visit: http://www.gata.org/node/16 Donations of $500 or more will entitle the donor to a 1-ounce silver round commemorating GATA's work: https://www.gata.org/sites/default/files/GATA-silver-round-front.png