Hello, good morning. My latest op-ed, publsihed in the RGG Business Journal analyzes the U.S.-Mexico Critical Minerals Action Plan, which was signed on February 4.
The bilateral action plan is being framed as a mining agreement. It's something more than that. It's a technology sovereignty play. Critical minerals are the physical substrate of every exponential technology, AI chips, quantum computing circuits, EV batteries, semiconductor fabrication equipment, 5G/6G infrastructure, and advanced defense systems. The country or region that controls these supply chains determines who participates in the next generation of technological development.
The Action Plan: A one-page document with continental scope, coordinated trade policies, price floors, geological mapping, stockpiling, and investment screening, all timed to the USMCA Joint Review due July 1.
Mexico's Endowment: World's #1 silver producer, top 7 in copper reserves, 1.7 million tonnes of lithium across 82 deposits, and significant reserves of at least 12 of the 60 minerals on the USGS 2025 Critical Minerals List.
The Technology Stack: I map the dependency chain from raw minerals to semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, robotics, 5G/6G, space/defense, and batteries, a connection that deserves more attention in the current debate.
The Nearshoring Parallel: The geological endowment exists and the geopolitical incentive is overwhelming, but we've seen this pattern before, where narrative precedes institutional delivery.
China's Dominance: 60% of rare earth mining, 90% of processing. The October 2025 truce bought a one-year reprieve. Every month without alternative supply chains is another month of strategic vulnerability.
To read the full op-ed go to:
https://riograndeguardian.com/stories/covarrubias-the-periodic-table-of-power,57860
I've also published an interactive version with data visualizations, including a mineral-to-technology dependency map, on my research lab site:
https://labs.drdanielcovarrubias.com/critical-minerals
As always, I welcome your questions or feedback. Please feel free to share with colleagues who may find it valuable.
Editor’s Note: The above commentary was penned by Daniel Covarrubias, Ph.D., director of the Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development at Texas A&M International University's A.R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business. Covarrubias specializes in cross-border trade, logistics, and the convergence of exponential technologies with North American economic integration. He is the architect of the USMCA 2.0, Binational Customs Agency (BCA), and NADICI policy frameworks.
