The United States should take steps to lessen its dependence on China for critical minerals, according to an opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal. The author suggests that the U.S. government can play a role in supporting American companies to meet national security needs, drawing a parallel to the government's actions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This approach, the piece argues, would allow the U.S. to break China's perceived stranglehold on the supply chain for these essential materials. The opinion suggests that by incentivizing and assisting domestic production, the U.S. can build a more resilient and secure supply of minerals vital for defense and advanced technologies.