The State Department has told Fox News Digital it is working to reduce the “national security” threat to the U.S. from China’s domination of the rare earth minerals market, with new signs that Africa can assist Washington in breaking Beijing’s stranglehold on this vital sector.
The 17 rare earth elements (REE) are metals “critical for both human and national security,” the Brookings Institution wrote in 2022, adding, “They are used in electronics (computers, televisions and smartphones), in renewable energy technology (wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicle batteries), and in national defense (jet engines, missile guidance and defense systems, satellites, GPS equipment and more).”
China is reported by Brookings to be responsible for 60% of global extraction of rare earth minerals and 85% of processing capacity.
But although Beijing has secured contracts in African countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to ship minerals, including cobalt, east to China, the continent has vast untapped resources. And the African Union’s Minerals Development Center stated recently that new huge specialist rare earth mines are due to come online by 2029 in Tanzania, Angola, Malawi and South Africa, and potentially yield almost 10% of the world’s supply.
This is leading the Trump administration to step forward with new attempts to expand the U.S. presence in Africa’s mining trade. Just this week, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “The administration’s approach prioritizes partnerships with African nations to ensure their minerals flow west, not east to China.”
In Africa, China is on Washington’s threat radar, with the spokesperson continuing, “China’s dominance in global mineral supply chains — specifically in processing and refining — is a threat to both U.S. and African interests. Beijing’s state-directed strategies exploit Africa’s natural resources, consolidate control over upstream mining assets, perpetuate opaque governance structures, degrade local environments and create economic dependencies that undermine regional stability.”
Various sources say the U.S. currently imports some 70% of all the rare earth elements it needs from China.
Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Fox News Digital that Beijing poses a threat on this issue: “Relying on China for critical minerals needed for a modern economy is a top national security risk that President Biden left unaddressed for four years. Under President Trump’s leadership, we can secure new sources in Africa, strengthen our partnerships there, and ensure America’s defense is never dependent on our adversaries.”
The administration is trying to move more into Africa, with the State Department spokesperson adding, “The United States is committed to making targeted investments in infrastructure to facilitate the export of minerals from Africa to global markets. A prime example is the Lobito Corridor, which provides an alternative to Chinese-controlled transportation routes for minerals from Africa’s Copperbelt to the Atlantic Ocean.”
Source: Foxnews