China Just Had a ‘Sputnik Moment.’ This GOP Lawmaker Is Urging Americans to Recognize It

Share this story

Samples of rare earth minerals from left, Cerium oxide, Bastnasite, Neodymium oxide and Lanthanum carbonate are on display during a tour of Molycorp’s Mountain Pass Rare Earth facility in Mountain Pass, Calif., June 29, 2015.

David Becker/Reuters

The U.S. recently experienced an inflection point in the great power competition against China — on the level of the launch of the Sputnik satellite during the Cold War — and most Americans are entirely unaware that it happened.

Representative John Moolenaar (R., Mich.), chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, is setting out to change that, urging Americans to wake up to the threat of Chinese critical mineral domination, a threat that was recently made explicit when the Chinese Communist Party placed export controls on the vital materials that go into everything from electric vehicle batteries and phones to advance missile systems.

James Lynch

About the Author

James Lynch

James Lynch is a news writer for National Review. He previously was a reporter for the Daily Caller. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and based in the Washington, D.C. area.

Comments

Advertisement

Advertisement