Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) said that he believes the China Select Committee's bipartisan work will be valuable in addressing the challenges posed by the current state of competition between China and the U.S. As a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Wittman is particularly eager to come up with a solution to decrease American reliance on China's critical minerals.
Earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed a resolution establishing the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Committee will be comprised of up to 16 members of the House and will include members from both parties. The Committee will work to investigate the status of competition between the U.S. and China in multiple sectors and make policy recommendations.
“The China Select Committee will reflect the unity of bipartisan effort required to meet the steep, immediate and multi-faceted challenges posed by today’s era of strategic competition,” Wittman said in a statement. “On the House Armed Services Committee, members are focused on strengthening the U.S. military to deter aggression from the Chinese Communist Party, but we recognize the threat we face from Communist China transcends our jurisdiction. As such, I am focused on the important work that the China Select Committee must do to reduce our dependencies on China and the Chinese economy, with a particular emphasis on decreasing our reliance on China for critical minerals within our supply chains.”
Wittman said members of the China Select Committee will work closely with colleagues to get the job done.
“I have great faith in Congressman Gallagher’s leadership. As a senior Republican on both the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Natural Resources, my office is uniquely positioned to work with the China Select Committee to address the national security implications of vulnerable critical mineral supply chains and execute bipartisan solutions,” Wittman said.
Wisconsin Republican Mike Gallagher will chair the committee, according to Politico. He has said that priorities for the committee will include reducing the U.S. supply chain's dependence on China, as well as addressing Chinese theft of American intellectual property and "exposing" the Chinese government's "coordinated whole-of-society strategy to undermine American leadership and American sovereignty."
Wittman, who has represented Virginia's First Congressional District since 2007, serves as vice ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, and he is also a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, according to his website.
In 2021, the U.S. imported $160 million worth of rare earth minerals, an increase from $109 million in 2020, according to a report from the U.S. Geological Survey. Of the imported minerals, 78% came from China.
"Chinese sources discuss leveraging rare earth dominance against the U.S. for coercive ends. Beijing would do so as, or within the context of, an escalatory measure in response to geopolitical dispute. More broadly, People’s Republic of China (PRC) sources frame rare earths dominance as a strategic input in today’s great power contest," Co-founder of Horizon Advisory Emily de La Bruyère said in an interview with Mining Technology.
Rare earth minerals are necessary components in smartphones, cameras, computers, LED lights, televisions and defense technology, according to the American Geosciences Institute.
