The US agency set up to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative is blending national security with development finance to try to secure a critical minerals supply chain, according to analysts and officials.Created in 2019 during President Donald Trump’s first administration, the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) puts its money into private-led projects rather than those led by the state, as is often the case with China.The agency operates in more than 100 countries, mostly in Central and South America, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.AdvertisementErin Collinson, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Centre for Global Development, said...