US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on 4 June 2025 that competition with China — spanning critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing and strategic supply chains — now features in virtually every major American diplomatic engagement abroad. Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rubio framed Beijing as Washington's most consequential long-term strategic challenge.

Critical minerals at the centre

Rubio said decades of deep economic integration with China have created dependencies that now threaten US national security and economic resilience. ‘Virtually every foreign engagement that I have with a foreign minister or when I visit another country,' he said, involves critical minerals — ‘every single one of those critical minerals is a part of it.'

He warned that risks once dismissed as hypothetical have already materialised. ‘Many of the critical minerals supply chain that have been denied to parts of the world, including the United States, were theoretical threats two or three years ago,' Rubio said. ‘And then it actually happened.'

‘Pax Silica' and the rare-earths push

To diversify sourcing, processing and refining, Washington recently hosted a rare earths ministerial attended by more than 30 countries, and launched a ‘Pax Silica' initiative involving 14 nations focused on supply chains essential to artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. Rubio said the administration has mapped strategic dependencies and is coordinating with allies on alternatives.

Pharma dependence flagged as national security risk

Rubio called it an ‘unacceptable risk' that 88 per cent of the active ingredients in US pharmaceuticals are still sourced from a single country. ‘The threat may be theoretical today,' he said. ‘I think we have to assume it will not be theoretical one day.'

Taiwan: $11 billion arms sale, $14 billion under review

Rebutting reports that the administration had slowed support for Taipei, Rubio said, ‘We don't consult with the Chinese on these sales.' He pointed to an $11 billion arms package cleared in December, which he described as the largest single sale to Taiwan in history, and confirmed an additional $14 billion package is under review. Beijing's displeasure, he said, was visible in repeated People's Liberation Army Air Force crossings of the Taiwan Strait centre line.

Myanmar, influence ops and shipbuilding

On Myanmar, Rubio said ‘the Chinese hold a tremendous amount of leverage' over the military regime, limiting US room for manoeuvre. He cited evidence of Chinese Communist Party influence operations abroad, including ‘the opening of police stations, the sending of individuals to harass Chinese nationals that are abroad.' He also flagged Beijing's dominance in commercial shipbuilding, built on years of subsidies, as a gap Washington must close.

Why it matters for India

For New Delhi, the testimony reinforces its rising relevance in US strategy. India is a core participant in the Quad, the critical-minerals diversification push and advanced manufacturing alignments — positioning it as a central economic and geopolitical partner as Washington builds alternatives to Chinese chokeholds across the Indo-Pacific.

With sanctions debates over Russian oil buyers and Strait of Hormuz security also intersecting Beijing's interests, the China question is unlikely to recede from US diplomacy any time soon.