Republican Rep.: America Must Win the Critical Minerals Race | Opinion

Young Kim

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On April 4, China imposed unprecedented export controls on seven of the world’s 17 rare earth elements, sending U.S. defense firms into a frenzy. If April’s export controls were a wakeup call to Washington, Beijing’s most recent announcement is a slap in the face.

China’s new controls require foreign countries to obtain licenses for products containing just 0.1 percent of Chinese-origin rare earths. Starting December 1, Beijing may deny licenses to any company with ties to a foreign military, including that of the United States. While this move may look like a sudden supply chain coup, it is actually a calculated, long-game strategy on the part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Representative Young Kim (R-Calif.) speaks onstage during the 2023 Concordia Annual Summit at Sheraton New York on September 18, 2023 in New York City...Read More

Nearly three decades ago, former PRC leader Deng Xiaoping said, “The Middle East has oil, China has rare earths.” In the years since, Beijing has worked relentlessly to establish a global chokehold on rare earth elements, which are the building blocks of modern technology, automotive, and defense industries.

China has wielded its dominance of rare earth production as a geopolitical weapon many times before. These new export controls are not simply a retaliatory measure in the U.S.-China trade war. They represent an aggressive new phase in a decades-long strategy to coerce the world into accepting Beijing’s critical minerals dominance.

China controls about 70 percent of rare earth mining and 90 percent of separation and processing. The latest controls aim to tighten its grip on the supply chains that move rare earths from mine to market—and preempt other nations from establishing their own.

Rare earth elements are critical inputs for semiconductor manufacturing, electric vehicles and advanced defense platforms such as F-35 fighter jets and Tomahawk cruise missiles. Nearly every dimension of U.S.-China competition, from the AI race to military readiness, depends upon secure access to these materials. The U.S. cannot allow itself to be dependent on China for the technologies that power our lives, economy and our future.