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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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 TikTok says report of possible sale to Musk 'pure fiction'


TikTok has called a report that China is considering allowing a sale of the social media company's US operations to Elon Musk "pure fiction."

The firm's comments came in response to a report by Bloomberg that Chinese officials are weighing an option that could see its business in America being sold to the world's richest person if the US Supreme Court upholds a ban on the app.

Supreme Court justices are due to rule on a law that set a 19 January deadline for TikTok to either sell its US operations or face a ban in the country.

TikTok has repeatedly said that it will not sell its US operation.

"We can't be expected to comment on pure fiction," a TikTok spokesperson told BBC News.

Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that one possible scenario being considered by Chinese officials would see Musk's X social media platform take control of TikTok's US operations.

Musk is a close ally of US president-elect Donald Trump, who is set to return to the White House on 20 January.

Last month, Trump urged the Supreme Court to delay its decision until he takes office to enable him to seek a "political resolution".

His lawyer filed a legal brief with the court that says Trump "opposes banning TikTok" and "seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office".

That came a week after Trump met TikTok's chief executive, Shou Zi Chew, at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

The Biden administration has argued that without a sale, TikTok could be used by China as a tool for spying and political manipulation.

The company has repeatedly denied any influence by the Chinese Communist Party and has said the law to ban it in the US violates the First Amendment free speech rights of its users.

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