The US and Finland joined forces in Washington DC on Thursday, signing two major deals on critical minerals and advanced technology as America looks to loosen China’s grip on the raw materials powering everything from smartphones to fighter jets.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen signed the Critical Minerals Framework and Technology Prosperity Deal, putting secure supply chains and high-tech cooperation at the heart of their partnership.
“It’s the foundation of tech. And we’re partnering on that today, everything from semiconductors to batteries to defence systems to energy infrastructure. All of this is dependent on that,” Rubio said.
The second agreement covers cooperation in quantum computing, telecommunications, nuclear energy, space technology and biotechnology.
“And then we’ll sign the technology prosperity deal, which is an important milestone in our partnership on critical and emerging technologies. Finland has world-class capabilities in quantum and telecom and nuclear and nuclear energy and space systems in engineering, biotech, and you name it,” he added.
The deals come as Washington pushes to reduce its reliance on Chinese-controlled mineral supply chains, tapping into Finland’s mineral resources and technological expertise.
Finland already joined the US-led Pax Silica initiative in April, a partnership focused on securing supplies of critical minerals, semiconductors and technology needed for artificial intelligence.
Source: Viory
