In what is seen as a retaliatory move against the United States, the Chinese government has announced that it will no longer allow certain rare earths, such as gallium, germanium and antimony, to be exported to the U.S.
The ban announcement came one day after the Biden Administration restricted the export of specific computer chips to China out of concern these chips are being used to develop advanced weapons that could be used against the United States and her allies.
The minerals that come from China are used in the semiconductor manufacturing process, sophisticated weapons, and every-day items Americans use, such as computers and mobile phones.
This embargo will increase domestic demand for these minerals, which Alaska can provide and has produced historically.
Gallium, for instance, which is used in fiber optic cables, cell phones, solar panels, and infrared technology, is found in the Red Dog mining area, as well as in parts of Southcentral Alaska and near the Ray River north of Fairbanks, where germanium, tungsten, and uranium have been located, just off the Dalton Highway.
Alaska is rich in antimony, and has produced it historically throughout Alaska history, from Southeast Alaska to the Brooks Range, starting in 1905, when Alaska was still a district. The Stampede Mine in the Kantishna Mine District produced 75% of the U.S. domestic production of antimony during much of World War II, and Livengood contributed production during the Korean War. It’s used in everything from batteries to nuclear weapons.
But domestic mining has fallen out of favor in America under the Biden Administration, which has bent to the will of environmentalists, halting permitting and setting areas off limits through federal regulatory actions, such as as blocking access to mining areas like the Ambler Mining District. That could change under the incoming Trump Administration and Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again mandate.
“I’ve been saying for years that our reliance on China for critical minerals undermines our national security and defense. This ban is a wake-up call. We have many of these rare earth minerals in the United States—particularly in Alaska,” said Sen. Dan Sullivan. “The Biden-Harris administration—led by extreme environmentalists—has been hell bent on keeping these minerals locked in the ground which, in my view, is national security suicide. I am confident President Trump and his administration understand the imperative of developing our own resources so that we aren’t dependent on an adversary, like China, to keep us safe.”
Nick Begich, Alaska’s incoming congressional representative, has long been interesting in mining and has supported and invested in Alaska mineral projects for years.
“For years alaska representatives have made a point that our energy and mineral security have been placed in the hands of our global adversaries. Self-reliance and self-determination require America to regain control these critical supply chains. That effort begins in Alaska, where critical minerals, rare earths, base metals, oil and gas, and more are available in abundance,” he said.
Kristen Walker of the American Consumer Institute, writes that an unwillingness to mine and process critical minerals, used for countless technologies and energy projects, on our soil needs reexamination.
“China currently dominates the supply chains, keeping every other nation at their mercy. Tapping into our own vast supplies would not only enhance national security but would benefit the environment due to superior standards here. We should open our lands to more exploration,” she says.
