CARACAS, Venezuela, March 5, (AP): US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum on Wednesday met in Venezuela with acting President Delcy Rodríguez in the latest sign of the Trump administration’s intent to exercise control over the South American country’s natural resources. Burgum, who leads US President Donald Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council, and Rodríguez met with representatives of more than two dozen US mining and minerals companies, many of which had previously operated in Venezuela.

he two-day visit comes as the administration seeks to defend against China’s hold on critical minerals - some of which are abundant in Venezuela - and advances its phased plan to turn around the long-troubled country. "When we are working together in can only mean two things, which is prosperity for the people of Venezuela and for the citizens of the United States, and it also brings peace and stability for the world,” Burgum told reporters standing next to Rodríguez, whom he praised for her efforts "to cut the red tape and allow capital investment to flow.”

The companies, he said, "represent billions of dollars in investment and thousands of dollars in high-paying jobs.” Burgum became the latest US official to travel to Caracas to meet with Rodríguez, who was sworn in following the capture by US forces of then-President Nicolás Maduro two months ago. His trip follows a February visit by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, which was focused on the country's oil potential.

The Republican administration is making bold moves to shore up supplies of critical minerals needed for electric vehicles, missiles and other high-tech products after China choked off their flow in response to Trump’s sweeping tariffs last year. While the two global powers reached a truce to pull back on the high import taxes and stepped-up rare earth restrictions, China’s limits remain tighter than they were before Trump took office.

In addition to oil, Venezuela is rich in gold, copper, coltan, bauxite, diamonds and other precious mined resources, while unsafe working conditions are common in the poorly regulated industry. The elements niobium and tantalum, both considered critical minerals and crucial for smartphones and the batteries of electric vehicles, are extracted from coltan.

Bauxite is processed into aluminum, which the U.S. also lists as a critical mineral. Rodríguez on Wednesday announced she will introduce a bill to overhaul the country’s mining law. The change, expected to attract foreign investments, will be "a win for the social well-being of our people.” "May the Venezuelan people also see the good aspects of having good relations with the world and with the United States of America,” she told reporters.