Press Release: Strategic Metals Invest Highlights Growing Importance of Rare Earths as Physical Assets Following Trump–Xi Trade Truce

Strategic Metals Invest (SMI), a marketplace that enables private investors to acquire and store rare earth and technology metals as physical assets, today commented on the renewed focus on global supply security following the Trump–Xi summit in South Korea.

On October 9, China imposed new export restrictions on this critical group of raw materials, with plans to further tighten them in the coming months. The measures cover 12 of the 17 rare earth elements as well as related processing technologies. According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, these planned new restrictions will now be suspended for one year. However, the limits already in place since April remain valid, as do those imposed on gallium and germanium last November. This suggests that supply chains for key rare earths such as dysprosium and terbium will remain under pressure for the foreseeable future.

“Rare earths and technology metals are the foundation of modern technology and the green economy,” said Louis O’Connor, Founder and CEO of Strategic Metals Invest. “Deals like this may ease tension in the short term, but they don’t change the long-term reality. The world still relies on one country for most of its critical materials.”

Industry experts have described the agreement as an “uneasy truce”, underscoring the fragile balance between short-term diplomacy and long-term structural dependence. China continues to control around 80 percent of global refining capacity for rare earth elements, giving it a powerful position in industries vital to electric vehicles, wind turbines, defense systems, and consumer electronics.

For investors, these developments highlight the strategic value of owning tangible assets that are insulated from paper-market volatility and geopolitical uncertainty. Strategic Metals Invest enables individuals to participate directly in this high-demand market through physical ownership of rare earth and technology metals — materials that are essential to modern innovation yet produced in limited quantities.

Through a partnership with the only global logistics and distribution platform that allows private investors to participate, SMI provides a simple structure combining acquisition, secure storage, and resale to industry buyers. This model bridges the gap between private investors and the industrial metals supply chain, offering both transparency and liquidity.

“As nations race to secure critical resources, we believe strategic metals represent one of the most underappreciated physical asset classes of our time,” O’Connor added. “They combine scarcity, industrial necessity, and long-term relevance — qualities that rarely converge in a single investment.”

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