On September 22, local time, Jose Fernandez, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth and Environmental Affairs of the U.S. State Department, said that while Washington is seeking to "diversify" the sources of raw materials for its products, the U.S. is unlikely to exclude China from key mineral supply chains and needs to continue to work with China.。Speaking at a press conference in New York, Fernandez said China plays a vital role in areas such as raw material processing, "We are very happy to cooperate with China in this regard, and at present we have purchased many mineral products from Chinese companies."。"