China’s foreign ministry has said that Pakistan keeps its strategic ally aware of its cooperation with the United States in the mining sector, and the two countries have maintained a “high-level strategic mutual trust and close communication”.

“The two countries have maintained high-level strategic mutual trust and close communication on major issues concerning each other’s common interests. From what I’ve learned, the two countries have been in communication on Pakistan-US mining cooperation,” said spokesperson Lin Jian.

US Strategic Metals, which signed a memorandum of understanding with Pakistan in September to invest rou­ghly $500 million to establish mineral processing and development facilities in the country, rece­ntly dispatched its first consignment of mineral samples to the US to advance the deal.

The sample shipment, prepared locally in collaboration with the Frontier Works Organisation, includes antimony, copper concentrate, and rare earth elements such as neodymium and praseodymium.

Pakistan also exports nearly $1.2 billion worth of copper ore to China annually and is expanding cooperation in the mining and mineral sectors as well with the close ally. China produces over 90 per cent of the world’s processed rare earths and rare earth magnets. The 17 rare earths are vital materials in products ranging from electric vehicles to aircraft engines and military radars. Exports of 12 of them are restricted after China’s commerce ministry added five — holmium, erbium, thulium, europium and ytterbium — more last week, along with related materials.

Lin Jian, spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was asked about the mineral shipment to the US and its alleged link to China’s curbs.

He stated that Islamabad and Beijing have been in communication regarding the mining activities and “Pakistan stressed that its interactions with the US will never harm China’s interests or its cooperation with China”.

Furthermore, in an apparent reference to a photograph circulating on social media that showed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir displaying an open case containing minerals samples to US President Donald Trump, the spokesperson said: “The samples that the Pakistani leaders showed and gave to the US leader are gem ores purchased by staff in Pakistan. The reported stories that you mentioned are either misinformed or invented, or even designed to drive a wedge between China and Pakistan. They are just baseless.”

The photograph was released by the White House, after a September meeting in the US, and showed Field Marshal Munir pointing to the contents of the case and Trump looking at them.

The spokesperson said China’s recently released export control measures on related rare earth items “have nothing to do with Pakistan”.

“It is a legitimate action by the Chinese government to refine its export control system in accordance with laws and regulations. It aims to better defend world peace and regional stability and to fulfill non-proliferation and other international obligations,” he added.

He reiterated that China and Pakistan were “all-weather strategic cooperative partners” whose iron-clad friendship “has stood the test of time’’.

Last week, China expanded its export controls over rare earths and related technology in a move to further tighten its grip and dominance on the critical minerals key to the energy transition.

Five more medium to heavy rare earth elements — holmium, erbium, thulium, europium and ytterbium — and related material will be added from November 8, China’s commerce ministry said.

The rare earths will join over twenty elements and related materials already listed, in each case forcing exporters to apply to Beijing for licences before selling overseas. China has also separately banned exports of gallium, germanium and antimony to the United States.