Warning: Achieving economic independence from China is crucial to avoid potential repercussions
President-elect Donald Trump and Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, the chair of NATO’s military committee, recognize the intertwined nature of economic and military competition with China.
Bauer emphasized at a meeting of the European Policy Centre in Brussels that China is rapidly gaining control of rare earth minerals and other natural resources.
“We are naive if we think the Communist Party will never use that power,” he remarked. “Business leaders in Europe and America need to understand that the commercial choices they make have strategic implications for their nation’s security.”
However, President Biden’s emphasis on “green” energy has bolstered China’s position and weakened America’s. China is dominating critical minerals crucial for these technologies, while US automakers are reducing their workforce.
To prevent America from becoming dependent on the Chinese Communist Party, which holds stakes in major Chinese industries, our nation must develop and enforce policies that reduce US reliance on China’s economy.
Biden’s mandates necessitate the buying of Chinese-sourced renewables, electric vehicles, batteries, and critical minerals. Meanwhile, Biden, aiming for zero carbon emissions, has discouraged the exploration and utilization of domestic oil, natural gas, and critical minerals.
Natural gas power plants require one ton of critical minerals per megawatt of power capacity, with nuclear power plants needing six tons.
In comparison, onshore wind plants necessitate 11 tons and offshore wind requires 17 tons for the same megawatt of energy output. States that mandate renewables experience higher residential electricity costs than those that don’t.
US national security policy’s focus should be on exploring and extracting key resources in America, partner countries, and international waters; ensuring the secure transport and processing of these resources free from leverage by US adversaries; utilizing US energy sources and technologies protected from manipulation; and safeguarding US allies from foreign leverage and manipulation.
The US Geological Survey identifies 50 critical minerals and rare-earth elements that are “essential to the economic or national security of the United States, have a supply chain that is vulnerable to disruption, and serve an essential function” in manufacturing.
These materials play a vital role in various high-tech applications like metallurgy, batteries, catalysts, lasers, medical imaging, and electronic components.
The CCP controls the supply chains of these critical minerals and rare-earth elements through subsidies, forced labor, and acquisitions in Africa and Latin America.
China controls 38% of global rare-earth element reserves; 60% of rare-earth mining; 85% of rare-earth processing; 90% of rare-earth permanent magnet manufacturing; 80% of solar component production; 85% of global battery production; and 80% of cobalt refining capacity.
These minerals are crucial for expensive renewable energy and electric transportation mandated by Biden-Harris regulations.
Biden’s directives and Chinese dominance present significant national security challenges as the CCP can disrupt supplies of these minerals to the West. Chinese EVs can be disabled, their navigation and braking systems compromised, and they can transmit data back to China.
Biden argues that sidelining oil and gas is necessary due to fossil fuels causing climate change.
Even if America and Western Europe completely ceased using all fossil fuels today, temperatures would only decrease by 0.3 degrees Celsius by 2100, according to government models run by The Heritage Foundation.
As China, India, Russia, Africa, and Latin America escalate their fossil fuel consumption, American emissions are a decreasingly small fraction of global emissions.
An extensive overhaul of energy, transportation regulations, and US critical mineral policies should be a top priority for the Trump administration.
America must cease aiding the CCP in expanding its market power and enhancing its dominance over foreign companies and citizens.
China has become more assertive globally, more oppressive internally, and more intent on supplanting America as the leading global power — all while American electricity and transportation costs rise, and jobs are lost. A new strategy is imperative.
Diana Furchtgott-Roth directs the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment at The Heritage Foundation. She is coauthor of Extricating America from Its Chinese Handcuffs (Heritage Special Report, September 2024).
