The US and Australia have signed a deal intended to boost supplies of rare earths and other critical minerals, as the Trump administration looks for ways to counter China's dominance of the market, BBC reported.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the deal would support a pipeline of $8.5bn (A$13bn; £6.3bn) "ready-to-go" projects that would expand his country's mining and processing abilities. 

It includes $1bn to be invested by the two countries in projects in the US and Australia over the next six months, a framework text says, according to BBC.

The US and Australia have been working on these issues since Trump's first term, but Albanese said the latest agreement would take the partnership to the "next level".