{"id":2331490,"date":"2024-08-27T06:38:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T10:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-us-should-restrict-cobalt-and-lithium-supplies-to-china-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-27T06:43:09","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T10:43:09","slug":"the-us-should-restrict-cobalt-and-lithium-supplies-to-china-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-us-should-restrict-cobalt-and-lithium-supplies-to-china-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"The US should restrict cobalt and lithium supplies to China &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-us-should-restrict-cobalt-and-lithium-supplies-to-china-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2331490&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-times-issues-multiple-corrections-for-article-falsely-claiming-900000-u-s-children-have-been-hospitalized-for-covid-19-during-pandemic\/\" title=\"New York Times Issues Multiple Corrections For Article Falsely Claiming 900,000 U.S. Children Have Been Hospitalized For COVID-19 During Pandemic\">article discusses<\/a> the \u2062U.S.&#8217;s\u2063 need to restrict cobalt and lithium supplies to China, emphasizing the strategic importance of these metals for the modern economy. Cobalt is essential for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/outdated-solar-panels-wind-turbines-electric-car-batteries-will-clog-landfills-with-hazardous-waste-according-to-new-report\/\" title=\"Outdated Solar Panels, Wind Turbines, Electric Car Batteries Will Clog Landfills With Hazardous Waste According To New Report\">lithium-ion batteries<\/a>, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/china-poor-virus-handling-obstructs-electric-vehicle-manufacturing\/\" title=\"China: Poor Virus Handling Obstructs Electric Vehicle Manufacturing\">power electric vehicles<\/a> and computers. Currently, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) dominates cobalt production, while China has positioned itself as a key player in the lithium market through strategic investments in \u200bcountries like Argentina.<\/p>\n<p>The author criticizes U.S.\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-kelly-same-people-criticizing-trump-peddled-russia-collusion-hoax\/\" title=\"Mike Kelly: Same People Criticizing Trump Peddled Russia Collusion Hoax\">political leaders<\/a> for focusing on other issues, like LGBT diplomacy, while China expands its \u200cinfluence over critical minerals. The piece highlights problematic practices, such as alleged bribery by Chinese companies to secure mining contracts. \u2062It also points out that American firms are\u2062 exporting lithium to China, which undermines U.S. sanctions and strategic\u200c interests.<\/p>\n<p>To counteract these\u2063 challenges, the article urges \u2064bipartisan Congressional action to prevent companies from circumventing U.S. sanctions, reminiscent of \u2062past legislative efforts\u200b during the Clinton administration aimed at curbing \u2063foreign investments in \u2063Iran and \u2062Libya. The implication is that a proactive approach is necessary to ensure \u200cAmerican economic and \u200csecurity interests are protected\u200c in the face of rising Chinese\u2063 dominance in crucial mineral markets.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">The US should restrict cobalt and lithium supplies to China<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1737040\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The United States has a problem. While American political leaders snipe at each other and the State Department&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/beltway-confidential\/2764848\/the-self-defeating-legacy-of-blinkens-lgbt-diplomacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prioritizes LGBT diplomacy<\/a>&nbsp;across Africa and the world, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/china\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>China<\/a> has sought to corner the world&rsquo;s cobalt market.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Most Americans may not think much about cobalt, but the twenty-first-century economy depends upon access to the metal. Nearly all&nbsp;lithium-ion rechargeable batteries require cobalt for their manufacture, and so without cobalt, electric vehicle and computer manufacturing either halts or becomes susceptible to Chinese blackmail.<\/p>\n<p>Today, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) hosts more than 72% of world cobalt production, with China, Russia, and Cuba also seeking to produce the valuable metal. The Chinese mining giant CMOC moved into Congo early, bribing their way to contracts under former DRC President Joseph Kabila. After F&eacute;lix Tshisekedi rose to power in 2019, he initially suspended the Chinese contracts, in theory, because a Congolese audit found the Chinese had failed to make good on promised infrastructure development. The Biden administration&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/2583329\/if-the-us-is-serious-about-countering-china-why-does-it-ignore-africa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">neglected<\/a>&nbsp;to move in to try to take over the contract. After likely paying a new bribe, CMOC resumed operation.<\/p>\n<p>What the DRC is to cobalt, China, and Argentina are to lithium. Even though Washington is slowly waking to the strategic necessity to access lithium and prevent a Chinese monopoly, Argentine lithium producers export almost four times as much lithium to China than to the United States. Scandalously, some Argentine firms exporting lithium to China are American subsidiaries that trade on the New York Stock Exchange.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While U.S. sanctions lag on export to China of lithium, advanced batteries, and fuel cells, many American, Canadian, and European investors seek to either evade legal or reputational damage or to prepare for the eventuality that sanctions will soon ban direct American trade.<\/p>\n<p>As corporations and their subsidiaries prepare to evade American sanctions to the benefit of China, it is essential that Congressional leaders from both parties recognize the strategic interest in preventing such schemes.<\/p>\n<p>Here, they can take inspiration from both late Senator Jesse Helms and President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Bill-Clinton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Bill Clinton<\/a>. In 1995, the Clinton administration stepped in to prevent Conoco from developing two Iranian oil fields. The following year, after Conoco sought to make an end run around the spirit of the prohibition by outsourcing the work to a Dutch subsidiary, Congress passed the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act to empower the United States to slap sanctions on foreign firms investing in either terrorist sponsor. Europeans reacted with fury at what they perceived as American arrogance aimed at coercing their businesses. Many European politicians urged defiance, but European businessmen prioritized the impact to their bottom line of U.S. sanctions and extricated themselves from Iran and Libya work.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1997, Clinton tightened the screws further with Executive Order 13059, prohibiting transshipment of goods or re-export from third countries into Iran.<\/p>\n<p>China today poses a far greater threat to the world order than either Iran or Libya did in the 1990s. Corporate greed, American navel-gazing, and strategic blindness, however, allow China to further its advantage in strategic metals and the next-generation economy.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To stop the flow of cobalt and lithium into Chinese reserves, it is essential to do two things: First is to disrupt Chinese exploitation of the Democratic Republic of Congo&rsquo;s cobalt, and second is to target those companies who would underwrite developing and trade of Argentine lithium. <\/p>\n<p>A single kilogram of either metal going to China is one kilogram too much. Fortunately, both Clinton and Helms show how advancing American interest need not falter on the shoals of shortsighted partisanship. The time to prohibit shipment of cobalt and lithium to China is now, even if that means sanctioning American firms, their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-biden-exploring-a-3-trillion-tax-hike-to-fund-infrastructure-climate-change-plan\/\" title=\"Report Biden \u2018Exploring\u2019 A  Trillion Tax Hike To Fund Infrastructure, Climate Change Plan\">foreign subsidiaries<\/a>, or other Western firms.<\/p>\n<p><em>Michael Rubin is a contributor to the Washington Examiner&rsquo;s Beltway Confidential. He is director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1737040\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1737040\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The United States faces a significant challenge. While political leaders engage in disputes and the State Department focuses on LGBT diplomacy globally, China is working to dominate the cobalt market. Although many Americans may overlook cobalt, it is crucial for the modern economy. Almost all lithium-ion rechargeable batteries require cobalt for production; without it, manufacturing electric vehicles and computers could either stop or become vulnerable to Chinese manipulation. Currently, over 72% of global cobalt production occurs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with China, Russia, and Cuba also aiming to extract this valuable resource. The Chinese mining company CMOC entered Congo early on by securing contracts through bribery during former DRC President Joseph Kabila&#8217;s administration. After F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi took office in 2019, he temporarily halted these contracts due to an audit revealing that the Chinese had not fulfilled their commitments regarding infrastructure development. However, the Biden administration did not intervene to take control of these contracts; after likely paying another bribe, CMOC resumed its operations.<\/p>\n<p>Just as the DRC is vital for cobalt, Argentina plays a similar role for lithium. Although Washington is gradually recognizing the strategic importance of accessing lithium and preventing a Chinese monopoly, Argentine lithium producers export nearly four times more lithium to China than they do to the U.S., with some American subsidiaries involved in this trade listed on the New York Stock Exchange.<\/p>\n<p>While U.S. sanctions on exports of lithium and advanced battery technologies lag behind efforts against China, many investors from America and Europe are looking for ways around potential legal or reputational repercussions as they prepare for possible sanctions that could restrict direct trade with China. It\u2019s crucial that Congressional leaders from both parties understand their strategic interest in thwarting such actions.<\/p>\n<p>Historically speaking, both late Senator Jesse Helms and President Bill Clinton provide examples worth emulating here: In 1995, Clinton&#8217;s administration intervened to prevent Conoco from developing Iranian oil fields; when Conoco attempted to bypass restrictions by outsourcing work through a Dutch subsidiary in 1996, Congress enacted the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act allowing sanctions against foreign firms investing in those countries despite European backlash.<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s threat posed by China far exceeds what Iran or Libya represented back then; however corporate greed combined with American complacency allows China&#8217;s dominance over critical metals essential for future economies.<\/p>\n<p>To halt China&#8217;s acquisition of cobalt and lithium reserves effectively requires two actions: disrupting China&#8217;s exploitation of Congolese cobalt resources while targeting companies involved in Argentine lithium development aimed at benefiting China directly\u2014every kilogram sent there represents a loss we cannot afford.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately examples set by Clinton and Helms illustrate how advancing American interests can transcend partisan divides\u2014now is indeed time to prohibit shipments of both metals into China even if it necessitates sanctioning American companies along with their foreign subsidiaries or other Western entities involved<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3393,"featured_media":2331491,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/chinese-president-xi-jinping.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[39377,39376,39375],"class_list":["post-2331490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-china-trade","tag-lithium-restrictions","tag-us-cobalt-supply"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/chinese-president-xi-jinping.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2331490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3393"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2331490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2331490\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2331491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2331490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2331490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2331490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}