Not only is thorium much more plentiful than Uranium, creating demand for thorium also solves diffuses the Chinese economic control of rare earth metals. Rare earths are plentiful in monazite sands as well as thorium and are available in the US. Right now, thorium is a radioactive byproduct that largely prevents economic extraction of rare earths. Build good thorium reactors in the US, and both energy and rare earth situations are alleviated.
