A U.S.-hosted, high-level international meeting (inaugural on Feb 4, 2026) convened by Secretary Marco Rubio to coordinate allied efforts to secure, diversify, and stabilize global critical‑mineral supply chains. Agenda items include mining, refining and processing capacity; supply‑chain diversification and resilience; investment and financing (including U.S. public financing and stockpiling); permitting and regulatory reforms; trade and market‑stability measures (e.g., reference prices/price floors and a proposed preferential trading zone); and industrial downstream cooperation. The event brought more than 50 delegations and senior U.S. officials (e.g., Vice President J.D. Vance, Under Secretary Jacob Helberg).
"Economic opening" in this context refers to the Bolivian government’s recent shift toward policies to attract foreign investment and international trade after years of protectionism — measures reported and discussed include ending fuel subsidies, pledges to invite foreign capital into sectors such as lithium, steps to increase transparency and certify resources, and broader reforms to stabilize public finances and boost investment. Specific policy details and timelines are country announcements and negotiation outcomes rather than contained in the readout.
The statement’s reference to "transnational crime" typically denotes cross‑border criminal networks that harm citizen security in the region — most commonly drug trafficking and illicit drug‑related organized crime, smuggling, human trafficking, and related corruption that empower violent criminal groups. (The readout does not list specific crimes.)
The readout does not describe any signed agreements, memoranda, or timelines from the meeting; it is a diplomatic readout noting discussion and shared interests rather than announcing concrete deals. Any formal agreements would be published separately by the U.S. or Bolivian governments.
Tommy Pigott is the State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson; in that role he issues official readouts and speaks for the Department publicly when designated, supporting the Spokesperson’s office in media engagement and messaging. The readout is explicitly attributed to him.
"Critical minerals" are naturally occurring elements and compounds (e.g., lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, rare earth elements, silicon, graphite) essential to modern technologies — batteries, chips, renewable energy, telecoms, defense systems — and are deemed "critical" because of economic importance and vulnerability to supply disruption. They matter to U.S.–Bolivia relations because Bolivia holds large lithium and other mineral resources that could supply battery and clean‑energy value chains; cooperation can support Bolivia’s investment and development goals while helping the U.S. and partners diversify and secure supply chains.