A Federal Critical Mineral Processing Initiative: Securing U.S. Mineral Independence from China
China currently dominates global refining for critical minerals essential to modern economies — including lithium, cobalt, nickel, natural graphite, and rare earth elements — making it the primary supplier of processed inputs for advanced technologies, such as semiconductors, aerospace components, energy storage systems, and electric vehicle batteries. Even minerals mined outside of China are often sent to Chinese-owned smelting and processing plants. This near-monopoly grants Beijing significant leverage over global supply chains, heightening concerns over U.S. dependence on Chinese-controlled refining operations. China’s recent export controls on processed rare earth elements, issued in response to U.S. tariffs, bring into focus this The post A Federal Critical Mineral Processing Initiative: Securing U.S. Mineral Independence from China appeared first on War on the Rocks.
China currently dominates global refining for critical minerals essential to modern economies — including lithium, cobalt, nickel, natural graphite, and rare earth elements — making it the primary supplier of processed inputs for advanced technologies, such as semiconductors, aerospace components, energy storage systems, and electric vehicle batteries. Even minerals mined outside of China are often sent to Chinese-owned smelting and processing plants. This near-monopoly grants Beijing significant leverage over global supply chains, heightening concerns over U.S. dependence on Chinese-controlled refining operations. China’s recent export controls on processed rare earth elements, issued in response to U.S. tariffs, bring into focus this
The post A Federal Critical Mineral Processing Initiative: Securing U.S. Mineral Independence from China appeared first on War on the Rocks.
