"Liquidation plays to the benefit of all the competitors in the region," United Mine Workers of America president said.

The facility would have three tonne-per-day processing capacity.

Senators said neither the Phase 1 trade deal with China, nor Trump’s separate 10% tariffs imposed on aluminum imports in 2018 had solved the underlying problem.

Shutdowns to manufacturing plants in China that could potentially cut off US rare earths imports shone a spotlight on the fact the nation is reliant on China for its rare earths needs.

Silver had never been cheaper relative to gold and this wildly-unprecedented anomaly is incredibly bullish for the white metal.

Talks are ongoing both domestically and internationally in North America over how to re-open supply chains.