Rubio flags China's 90% grip on critical minerals as security threat
Synopsis
Marco Rubio's testimony lays bare Washington's biggest industrial blind spot: a 90% dependence on China for the minerals that power EVs, semiconductors and weapons systems. With three dozen countries now in play and processing — not just mining — as the new battleground, the US is racing to rewire global supply chains before the next crisis exposes how brittle they really are.
Key Takeaways
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that depending on a single country for 90% of critical inputs is dangerous for national security.
Rubio testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security .
Over three dozen countries attended the recent Critical Minerals Ministerial led by Washington.
Key minerals at stake include lithium , cobalt , rare earths and graphite — vital for EVs, semiconductors and defence systems.
The strategy targets both raw material sourcing and processing capacity , where China dominates.
Rubio flagged similar concentration risks in pharmaceuticals .
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday warned that China's dominance of global critical mineral supply chains poses a mounting threat to economic and national security, telling lawmakers that Washington is fast-tracking partnerships with dozens of nations to cut dependence on Beijing. Testifying before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State and Related Programs, Rubio called the concentration of mineral extraction and processing in a single country a strategic vulnerability for the US and its allies in Europe and Asia.
What Rubio told lawmakers
“It is not healthy for the global economy and frankly, it is dangerous for national security and the security of the world to depend on any single country for 90 per cent of anything that's critical to your industrial base, your defence base, your technology base,” Rubio said.
He added that critical minerals have become “a key component of our diplomacy” and are now a focus at virtually every US embassy worldwide.
Why critical minerals matter
Minerals such as lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements and graphite are indispensable for electric vehicles, semiconductors, batteries, telecommunications gear, renewable energy systems and advanced military platforms. Any disruption in supply can ripple through entire industrial ecosystems, from EV assembly lines to fighter jet production.
The diplomacy push
Rubio said the State Department is working with “three dozen or more countries” that attended the recent Critical Minerals Ministerial, aiming to diversify both raw material sourcing and downstream processing capacity. The strategy, he noted, extends beyond mining to building alternative refining hubs — the stage where China currently holds an overwhelming edge.
“We simply have a hyper concentration of whether it's critical minerals or you could add pharmaceuticals to that concentrated in the hands of one country,” Rubio told the panel. “It leaves us dangerously dependent.”
The wider China context
The remarks come as the Trump administration places critical minerals at the centre of its economic and foreign policy agenda amid intensifying competition with Beijing. Representative John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen supply chain resilience and reduce dependence on Chinese-controlled resources.
Rubio linked the minerals question to a broader pattern of strategic exposure, noting that pharmaceuticals and other sectors face similar concentration risks. US diplomats, he said, are increasingly mapping vulnerabilities with partner governments and brokering alternative supply arrangements.
What's next
With Washington courting resource-rich partners across Africa, Latin America and the Indo-Pacific, the coming months are expected to see fresh bilateral deals on mining and processing. The test will be whether these partnerships can scale fast enough to dent China's near-monopoly before the next geopolitical flashpoint forces the issue.
Point of View
Not just trade. But the harder problem isn't extraction; it's processing, where China's lead was built over two decades of state-backed investment that the West chose not to match. Diversification deals with three dozen countries sound expansive, yet without parallel financing for refining capacity, they risk delivering ore to the same Chinese smelters. For partner nations like India and Australia, this is an opening — provided Washington's commitments survive the next budget cycle.
NationPress
19 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Marco Rubio say about China and critical minerals?
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that China's dominance of global critical mineral supply chains is a growing threat to economic and national security. He told a House Appropriations subcommittee that depending on any single country for 90% of inputs critical to industrial, defence and technology bases is dangerous.
Which critical minerals is the US concerned about?
The US is focused on lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements and graphite. These materials are essential for electric vehicles, semiconductors, batteries, telecommunications equipment, renewable energy systems and advanced military platforms.
How is the US trying to reduce dependence on China?
Washington is partnering with more than three dozen countries through forums like the Critical Minerals Ministerial to diversify supply chains. The strategy covers both raw material sourcing and the development of alternative processing capacity outside China.
Why does processing capacity matter as much as mining?
Even when minerals are mined elsewhere, much of the world's refining and processing is concentrated in China, which controls the stage where ore becomes industrial-grade input. Without alternative processing hubs, diversifying mining alone does not reduce strategic dependence.
What other sectors face similar concentration risks?
Rubio said pharmaceuticals face comparable concentration in China, creating parallel risks for global markets and national security. US diplomats are working with partner governments to identify such vulnerabilities across multiple sectors.
