The White House is competing with China to shore up rare earths, but a new report suggests an emerging vulnerability deserves equal attention: metals.
Beijing has a vise grip on the processing and refining of steel, aluminum, and copper that’s used to build military equipment, data centers and more. China’s state-backed dominance is distorting international markets and undermining U.S. security, SAFE’s Center for Strategic Industrial Materials asserted in a study released Tuesday.
“I think it’s a familiar tale of China’s industrial policy … what we’re trying to show is, yes, there’s minerals, but take a look at metals, too, and within metals, the scale is alarming,” said Joe Quinn, the center’s executive director.
While the U.S. has four operating aluminum smelters, China has more than 80, the report notes. And while there are two operating copper smelters in the U.S., China has 47 and that number is growing. Beijing’s steel production capacity also outpaces countries across the globe, SAFE found.
