知情人士：美政府欲砸50亿美元，成立矿产投资基金

Core Viewpoint - The U.S. government is actively promoting a mineral investment fund with a scale of up to $5 billion, marking its first direct involvement in large-scale mineral transactions [2] Group 1: Fund Details - The proposed fund will be established as a joint venture between the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and New York-based Orion Resource Partners, with both parties contributing equally to reach a total of $5 billion [2] - Key terms of the agreement are still under negotiation, and no guarantees have been made regarding the finalization of the deal [2] - If successfully established, this could become DFC's largest collaboration project in its history, with a potential investment of $2.5 billion from DFC [3] Group 2: Background on DFC and Orion - DFC was established towards the end of Trump's first presidential term and has previously approved multiple investments in the mining sector, including a $150 million loan to support Syrah Resources Ltd. for a graphite mine in Mozambique [3] - During Biden's presidency, DFC committed over $550 million in financing to upgrade the Lobito Corridor railway infrastructure in Angola, aimed at transporting copper from the Central African Copperbelt [3] - Orion Resource Partners is a major financing entity in the mining industry, managing approximately $8 billion in assets across private equity, private credit, venture capital, and commodity trading [3] Group 3: Strategic Insights - Orion's CEO has suggested that governments should establish strategic reserves for critical minerals, akin to the strategic petroleum reserves created after the 1970s oil crisis, to mitigate supply disruptions and price volatility [4] - The U.S. Department of Defense announced a $400 million investment in MP Materials, a rare earth producer, and a $150 million loan to secure all rare earth magnets produced by the company [5] - The U.S. government has expressed concerns about the vulnerability due to a lack of rare earth sources, emphasizing the need for a commercially viable environment to foster the industry, including protective tariffs and price floors [5]