U.S. Boosts Investment in Critical Minerals to Reduce Dependence on China Amidst Unclear Strategic Objectives.

The U.S. is investing in domestic critical minerals projects and encouraging imports from friendly nations in an effort to reduce reliance on China. However, the country’s critical thinking behind this effort is unclear. Critical materials, the collective noun for critical minerals and metals, are essential for the country’s clean energy transition. The identification of critical materials is dependent on geographical and global political events, such as the availability of steel, copper, aluminum, antimony, chromium, nickel, and tungsten for World War II. While the US has successfully defined its critical materials list, many other factors crucial for regaining our critical materials’ perch have fallen by the wayside. An understanding of the complex supply chain for each material is also lacking nationally. China’s focus is on its technological dominance and technological independence from the West, codified in its Five-Year Plan, China 2025.