China currently has a significant advantage over the United States in terms of critical minerals.
These minerals are “critical” for the production of green energy technology, the semiconductors used in consumer electronics, and military hardware—including missiles, aircraft, and ammunition.
The PRC controls over 90 percent of the world’s production of gallium, over 80 percent of the production of magnesium, tungsten, and bismuth, and over 70 percent of the production of graphite. China also controls between 40 and 50 percent of the world’s supply of refined rare earth elements. Domestic production of critical minerals is comparatively weak, and the construction of new mines was repeatedly blocked by the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency under President Joe Biden.
If we are to successfully counter Chinese influence in the…
