![\"Resolution](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1779308871_192_0x0.jpg\")
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Superior, Arizona, Headframes on the site of Resolution Copper’s proposed underground copper mine. (Photo by: Jim West\/UCG\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
UCG\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Trump administration has made clear that critical minerals are a national security priority. That makes its support for multinational mining giant Rio Tinto\u2019s Resolution Copper project in Arizona therefore consequential.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Forest Service recently completed a land exchange<\/a> benefiting the copper mine, heralding the project as advancing President Trump\u2019s goal of mineral independence and energy dominance by boosting domestic mineral production.<\/p>\n The administration\u2019s backing is a huge benefit to Rio Tinto, and it raises questions about whether the company is in alignment with U.S. policy objectives?<\/p>\n Rio Tinto owns 55 percent of Resolution Copper and stands to benefit enormously from the long-stalled project, which could meet more than a quarter of U.S. copper demand<\/a>. Rio Tinto has said it intends to keep that copper in the United States, making it a potential cornerstone of America\u2019s industrial renewal. <\/p>\n Speaking at last month\u2019s China Development Forum, CEO Simon Trott said<\/a> China is central to Rio Tinto\u2019s global business strategy. In 2025, China accounted for 57% of Rio Tinto\u2019s $57.6 billion in sales, while procurement from China reached a record $4.3 billion. That makes China more than simply a customer.<\/p>\n Rio Tinto is testing battery swap technology on mining trucks with China\u2019s State Power Investment Corporation unit Qiyuan<\/a> at the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia. It\u2019s partnering with Chinese state-backed firm Chinalco<\/a> to acquire a controlling stake in a Brazilian aluminum producer. At Simandou in Guinea, Rio Tinto is working with a Chinese consortium and relying on Chinese contractors<\/a> to build core infrastructure. That does not sound like a company reducing its exposure to China. <\/p>\n And then there\u2019s Resolution Copper. <\/p>\n Rio Tinto has said<\/a> it wants to keep production from Resolution Copper in the United States. But a senior executive recently told Reuters the company may need to export copper concentrate because U.S. smelting economics don\u2019t work. The same executive has pushed U.S. policymakers for changes to tariffs and export rules.<\/p>\n So which is it?<\/p>\n Is Resolution Copper about American mineral independence? Or is it just a way for Rio Tinto to seek policy favors from the Trump administration while keeping its global options open?<\/p>\n The contradiction extends to trade. <\/p>\n After the Supreme Court limited<\/a> the Trump administration\u2019s tariff authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), Rio Tinto filed lawsuits against the Trump administration through six U.S. subsidiaries seeking refunds<\/a> on tariff payments of nearly $10 million in 2025<\/a>. <\/p>\n Rio Tinto is asking Washington to accelerate its Arizona project while also challenging the administration\u2019s trade policy in court. <\/p>\n