Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited a lithium processing plant in resource-rich Western Australia state on Tuesday, highlighting China’s push to secure critical minerals as Washington tries to break Beijing’s supply dominance.

Western Australia supplies more than half of the world’s seaborne iron ore, with China its top customer, and half of its lithium used in electric vehicles, smartphones and other electronic devices.

Li’s visit to Australia, which began Sunday, is the first by a Chinese premier in seven years and marks a stabilization in ties between the U.S. ally and the world’s second-biggest economy.