The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party's Critical Minerals Policy Working Group convened this afternoon for its fourth meeting, chaired by Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL). The session focused on enhancing the sustainability and resilience of critical mineral supplies essential to national industries and technologies through recycling, domestic recovery, and non-traditional sources.
Experts addressing the committee included Mr. Ahmad Ghahreman, CEO of Cyclic Materials; Gerard Barron, Chief Executive Officer of The Metals Company; and Kijune Kim, Executive Vice President of Korea Zinc. Discussions revolved around advancements in recycling technologies, economic incentives for domestic recovery, and alternative sources of critical minerals.
Rep. Rob Wittman opened the meeting with a reference to China's long-term strategy in the semiconductor market: “Xi Jinping said 25 years ago that China was going to dominate the semiconductor market and they set out to do that… to set up mines around the world, to coerce others into their universe, to use forced labor.”
Rep. Kathy Castor emphasized the need for battery recycling: “Some of the answers on batteries we don’t have right now… We want to be able to ensure we have a circular economy where we are able to recycle and reuse those.”
Mr. Ahmad Ghahreman highlighted the current challenges in rare-earth recycling: “Less than 1 percent of rare-earths are recycled today, increasing the pressure to scale domestic mining. All the while, the US remains dependent on China for imports.”
Gerard Barron advocated for investment in domestic capabilities: “I firmly believe that in order for the United States to outcompete China in the critical mineral space, we must invest in domestic capabilities to harvest and also refine seabed minerals.”
Kijune Kim discussed environmental concerns related to investments: “We care about our environment; however if we try to invest in any jurisdiction in the U.S., it’s really hard… The city governments in China—they supply all the money for acquiring land, building factories, and utilities for free.”
