{"id":10354,"date":"2025-05-28T16:57:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T16:57:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/?p=10354"},"modified":"2025-05-28T16:57:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T16:57:31","slug":"nma-testifies-on-countering-chinas-mineral-supply-chain-grip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northamericanmining.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/28\/nma-testifies-on-countering-chinas-mineral-supply-chain-grip\/","title":{"rendered":"NMA testifies on countering China’s mineral supply chain grip"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Katie Sweeney<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

National Mining Association EVP and COO Katie Sweeney recently spoke before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on methods to enhance domestic mineral supply chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweeney, in her testimony, outlined how China has established and continues to maintain such an advantage in the global minerals market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cChina’s strong supply chain position does not result from an inherent advantage in reserves for most materials, but rather from heavy non-market activities, market manipulation, government subsidization and from investments in mining, processing and manufacturing industries,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a result, China’s share of global mineral production and processing has grown markedly since 1990 for many mineral commodities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also stressed that \u201cdistortive and unfair market practices\u201d employed by China and other countries, such as providing subsidies to domestic industries, create significant challenges for U.S. producers and also has the ability to destabilize global critical minerals supply chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese subsidies take various forms, including direct financial support to domestic processing facilities, energy subsidies that lower electricity and operational costs, and tax incentives coupled with preferential loan programs,\u201d she noted. \u201cConsequently, Chinese producers can export critical minerals and downstream products, at artificially low prices, making it increasingly difficult for U.S. manufacturers to compete in both domestic and international markets.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweeney outlined numerous steps that the U.S. can take to counter China’s clear current advantage, including permitting reform to tackle a \u201cneedlessly lengthy and cumbersome process\u201d to bring America’s mines online, along with federal investments and incentives for domestic mineral production and refining projects, such as grants, tax credits, preferred loans, R&D funding, incentives for domestic sales, and price support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also spotlighted:<\/p>\n\n\n\n