The Trump administration is seeking broader U.S. access to Venezuela's minerals, including gold, as Washington expands its resource strategy beyond oil and counters China's influence in Latin America. Officials are considering measures including a possible critical-minerals executive order, although the draft strategy could change, and have met companies to assess interest in Venezuela's mining sector. Treasury actions in March authorized certain transactions involving Venezuelan-origin gold and later expanded coverage to other minerals, some mining services and negotiations over potential investment contracts. Venezuela's mineral potential remains difficult to assess because government data uses reserves and resources interchangeably, geological information is outdated, infrastructure is weak and illegal groups control deposits in the Orinoco Mining Arc. A 2018 government catalog estimated 3 billion metric tons of coal reserves, 407,885 metric tons of nickel reserves, 644 metric tons of gold resources, 14.68 billion metric tons of iron ore resources and 321.5 million metric tons of bauxite resources, while United States Geological Survey data showed low or declining output for several metals. Venezuela's April mining law seeks new investment while keeping deposits in government hands and imposing royalties of up to 13% of gross production value.