California Republican leading charge to counter China’s critical mineral supremacy

In an exclusive interview, California Republican Rep. Young Kim discussed how her bipartisan bill could demolish China’s critical mineral vice grip.

Kim is among the few secure Southern California Republicans after the state passed the redistricting measure Proposition 50 in November 2025. The Golden State politician told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the U.S. must forge muscular partnerships to break China’s chokehold on the critical mineral supply chain by presenting the U.S. as a key partner and investing in projects overseas.

Kim’s DOMINANCE Act — or the Developing Overseas Mineral Investments and New Allied Networks for Critical Energies Act — would codify and expand U.S. efforts to diversify the critical mineral supply chain and establish a central American authority for related policies if signed into law.

“We cannot let China turn our rare earth supply chains into shackles,” Kim told the DCNF. “We recognize the critical minerals are key to American innovation, national security and next generation of energy independence. Obviously, we can’t do this alone. … Domestic production is not enough.”

Critical minerals are materials and rare earths deemed essential to the U.S. economy and national security, and rare earths are a group of 17 metallic elements vital for key technologies ranging from smart phones to data centers. The military also relies on rare earth elements and critical minerals for applications such as precision-guided weapons systems and corrosion protection in munitions.

America imports around 80% of the rare earths it consumes, largely from China, which maintains a chokehold on the global critical mineral supply and refining capacity. China demonstrated willingness to leverage its market dominance in 2025 at the expense of U.S. military supply chains, restricting exports after Trump imposed sweeping and stringent tariffs.

Kim told the DCNF that the DOMINANCE Act, co-sponsored by Democratic California Rep. Ami Bera, is aimed at strengthening links of the global supply chain to break China’s monopoly. The legislation would also officially establish a central hub known as the “Bureau of Energy Security and Diplomacy,” which would “perform such functions related to the formulation and implementation of international energy, energy technology, critical minerals, and relevant supply chain policies, as the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs may prescribe.”

The legislation calls for “a mechanism and process for the United States to provide support for critical mineral projects in foreign countries” and to “prioritize projects that advance the national and economic security interests of the United States and allies and partners of the United States.”

China has been expanding critical minerals initiatives in Africa, Latin America and across Asia for decades.

“Beijing already has a 30-year head start over the United States. So, to win the critical minerals race, we need to put together an all-star team,” Kim told the DCNF. “We have to strengthen every link so China cannot break it,” Kim said, explaining that the DOMINANCE ACT would formalize U.S. participation in the Minerals Security Partnership and bolster mining education efforts.

Notably, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has sought to stabilize trade with China, with his office stating after President Donald Trump enacted global tariffs in 2025 that the state’s “economy and workers rely heavily on trade with Mexico, Canada, and China” and that “Mexico, Canada, and China are California’s top three export destinations.”

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