House CCP Committee Chairman Inquires With Canadian Firm About Supply of Critical Metal

Rep. John Moolenaar says Americaโ€™s dependence on China for tungsten โ€˜poses a significant riskโ€™ to the United Statesโ€™ industrial base and warfighting readiness.

Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) has sent a letter to Canada-based mining company Almonty Industries to inquire about a critical metal essential for U.S. defense technology that the United States relies on China to obtain.

Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), announced on June 2 that he had sent a letter to Almontyโ€™s chairman, Lewis Black, over the companyโ€™s Sangdong tungsten mine in South Korea.

Tungsten is unique for its exceptionally high resistance to heat, thanks to it having the highest melting point of all known metals. Tungsten is exceptional in terms of hardness, especially in its compound form, tungsten carbide, which is nearly as hard as diamond. As a result, it is used in both military and aerospace systems, such as armor-piercing projectiles, missile nozzles, and hypersonic vehicles, as well as semiconductors and electric vehicle batteries.

Despite its importance, tungsten has not been produced commercially in the United States since 2015, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The agency noted that China produced over 82 percent of the global tungsten supply in 2024.

The USGS has designated tungsten as one of 50 critical minerals that are vital to the U.S. national security.

The United States โ€œremains heavily import-dependentโ€ for tungsten, notably buying from โ€œsources tied toโ€ China, Moolenaar wrote.

โ€œThis dependency poses a significant risk to our defense industrial base and warfighting readiness,โ€ Moolenaar added. โ€œAs a result, ensuring a secure tungsten supply chain must in the near-term prioritize securing allied sources of tungsten ore and concentrates.โ€

Moolenaar cited Almontyโ€™s announcement in January, in which the company said it intended to redomicile from Canada to the United States. โ€œIf completed, this move would position Almonty as a primary U.S.-based producer of tungsten ore and concentrates,โ€ the lawmaker wrote.

In the January announcement, Black, Almontyโ€™s chairman, pointed to Chinaโ€™s export restrictions on certain metals and was quoted as saying that โ€œAlmonty and its South Korean Sangdong Mine are poised to become a cornerstone for a transparent and reliable Western source of tungsten and molybdenum.โ€

Almontyโ€™s announcement also said that 45 percent of Sangdongโ€™s โ€œpotential long-term tungsten output is already committed to the United Statesโ€ through agreements with Pennsylvania-based Global Tungsten & Powders.

Byย Frank Fang

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Columns

โ€˜This One Time, at Groomer Campโ€™

All Camp Brave Trails programs focus on helping LGBTQ+ youth find what they need most to thrive: their people, their place, and their passion.

Why Recognizing a Palestinian State Now Undermines U.S. Interestsย 

A recent American Conservativeย article suggests President Trump recognize a Palestinian state, but this would undermine the interests of the United States.

Harvardโ€™s China Ties Under Scrutiny as US Targets Student Visas

Following Trump adminโ€™s action to vet Chinese nationals studying in US for ties to the CCP, Harvard's involvement with Beijing has come to the fore.

The Russian-Ukrainian Talks Are At An Impasse That Only The US Or Brute Force Can Break

The second round of Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul resulted in no progress and talks are at an impasse that only the US or brute force can break.

Airline Crews Say DEI Persists, Despite Safety Concerns and Trump Orders

During a 2024 conversation, a flight instructor described an โ€œegregiousโ€ example of standards apparently being relaxed to meet DEI goals.

News

Supreme Court Rules 9-0 Wisconsin Violated First Amendment by Denying Tax Exemption to Catholic Charity

Supreme Court ruled unanimously that WI violated the First Amendment by not granting Catholic charity an exemption from paying unemployment tax.

Judge Requires Trump Admin to Provide Due Process for Deportees in El Salvador Prison

Boasberg ordered Trump admin to provide habeas relief for individuals it deported and are held in Salvadoran maximum security prison.

New Nebraska Law Classifies School Sports Teams by Sex

NE Gov. Pillen signed new law requiring students to play on sports teams based on their sex, allowing women and girls to fairly compete in sports.

Supreme Court Declines to Shield Identities of Police Who Attended Jan. 6 Capitol Rally

U.S. Supreme Court declined to shield identities of police officers fighting a public records request for info about their attendance at Jan. 6 2021 rally.

ICE Arrests 72 Illegal Immigrants at South Carolina Nightclub Linked to Mexican Cartel

ICE arrested 72 illegal immigrants, including six minors, at a nightclub run by an alleged member of the Los Zetas cartel in South Carolina.

Federal Judge Halts Deportation of Boulder Firebombing Suspectโ€™s Family

A federal judge on June 4 issued an order to prevent the deportation of family members of a man charged in the firebombing attack in Boulder, CO.

Education Department Says Columbia University Fails to Meet Accreditation Standards

DOE said Columbia violated federal civil rights law thus failing to meet accreditation standards amid allegations of discrimination against Jewish students on campus.

Trump Demands Lower Rates After Weak ADP Jobs Dataโ€”Will the Fed Budge?

President Donald Trump on June 4 repeated his demand for Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates.
spot_img

Related Articles