New Delhi, April 16 -- US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a probe into potential new tariffs on all U.S. critical minerals imports, a major escalation in his dispute with global trade partners and an attempt to push back on industry leader China.

The order lays bare what manufacturers, industry consultants, academics and others have long warned Washington about: that the U.S. is overly reliant on Beijing and others for processed versions of the minerals that power its entire economy.

China is a top global producer of 30 of the 50 minerals considered critical by the U.S. Geological Survey, for example, and has been curtailing exports in recent months.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from MINT....