[SMM Analysis] Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve Accelerates

When Trump announced the launch of a $12 billion "Gold Reserve Plan" at the White House to procure and stockpile critical minerals such as rare earths, gallium, and cobalt for manufacturers, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA) was also studying the inclusion of copper concentrates in the national reserves.

The global strategic resource reserve system is undergoing rapid restructuring, and a resource security battle centered on critical minerals has quietly begun.

In early February 2026, the world's two largest economies almost simultaneously announced strategic reserve plans for critical minerals. The Trump administration officially launched a $12 billion critical mineral reserve project named the "Gold Reserve Plan."

This plan aims to establish a 60-day emergency mineral reserve, utilizing $10 billion in loans from the US Export-Import Bank and approximately $2 billion in private capital to procure and stockpile critical mineral resources such as rare earths, gallium, and cobalt.

From the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act setting clear recycling rate targets to the US’s tax incentive policies, a global policy network covering legislation, subsidies, and standards is taking shape.

For China, the recycling industry of rare and precious metals is not only a vital component of resource security but also a key link in achieving the "dual carbon" goals and ensuring supply chain autonomy and control.