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  China controls the rare earths the world buys - can Trump's new deals change that? US President Donald Trump has signed a flurry of deals on his Asia visit to secure the supply of rare earths, a critical sector that China has long dominated. The deals with Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia differ in size and substance and it's too early to assess their tangible impact. But they all include efforts to diversify access to the minerals that have become essential for advanced manufacturing, from electric vehicles to smartphones. The agreements, which aim to lock partners into trading with the US, are a clear bid to reduce dependence on China, ahead of a key meeting with its leader Xi Jinping. They could eventually challenge Beijing's stranglehold over rare earths, but experts say it will be a costly process that will take years. "Building new mines, refining facilities, and processing plants in regions such as Australia, the United States, and Europe comes ...
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     Trump threatens to make Canada the 51st state


Donald Trump has threatened to make Canada the 51st state of the United States if it fails to address the problems of illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Fox News sources said Trump made the warning during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. However, it is believed that Trump made the comment in jest during the meeting between the two leaders.

The Russian news agency TASS reported on Tuesday (December 3). Trump is known for making exaggerated claims, sometimes ridiculous. He has used them as a way to emphasize his hardline stance on immigration and his rhetoric. According to Fox News, during talks at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida last week, Trump told Trudeau that if Ottawa fails to reduce illegal immigration across the border into the United States and reduce the trade deficit, he will impose a 25% tariff on all Canadians on his inauguration day, January 20.

Trudeau told Trump that such a move would destroy the Canadian economy, to which Trump responded by saying that Canada could just become the 51st U.S. state. According to Fox News, the remarks were met with laughter from the Canadian delegation, including Prime Minister Trudeau. One participant at the meeting joked that if this happened, Canada would become a deep-blue state that would likely elect liberals and leftists. Trump, instead, suggested splitting Canada into two states, one liberal and the other conservative. Trump also said that Trudeau could become the governor of the 51st U.S. state. The Canadian prime minister and Trump met for about three hours, according to Fox News. The United States, Mexico, and Canada are bound by a trilateral agreement that calls for a free trade area between the three countries. However, Trump has already said he will impose a 25% tariff on all goods from Canada and Mexico due to illegal immigration and drug smuggling. According to the Wall Street Journal, the threat has shocked Canadian politicians and business leaders. Since the United States accounts for three-quarters of Canada's total exports, duty-free access to the U.S. market is essential for Ottawa's economic growth.

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