They stop giving you whatever you traded the minerals for. How is that even an argument. In what world you stop providing your end of a trade bargain and the other side keeps giving you what they were trading for. Sounds crazy.
I was referring of course to the hypothetical of the United States making deals to purchase minerals, paying in advance, then subjecting the countries in question to humiliating financial consequences when they can't deliver.
There are many cases of the US literally walking back on its word or unilaterally canceling deals because it could. It even cancelled its sovereign debt that it had to other countries a few times in history. The countries used to take it because they had to. Which precisely why the global south now prefers China, Russia, Brazil, India and the entire new bloc around BRICS, SCO etc:
They don't have to tolerate anything with China or Russia. When a deal is broken by a country, these two countries just stop doing business with that other country until some agreement is reached. Its simple business/trade. So much that China avoids even saying things that could be interpreted as commentaries on other countries' policies, the way to do things or their culture. Ending up in very dry press releases.