Lawmakers Demand Action From Pentagon on CCP’s Seabed Mining

Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik and Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.) look on as Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) speaks at a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 2, 2021. Pete Marovich/Getty Images

A group of lawmakers has urged the Pentagon to develop a plan to address the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) activities in seabed mining as Beijing is set to dominate the area. 

In a letter dated Dec. 7 to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Reps. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and a group of over 30 lawmakers raised concerns about the CCP’s investment in seabed mining, which potentially strengthens Beijing’s dominance in critical mineral resources.

Seabed mining is a process that extracts and recovers submerged sediment and minerals from the ocean floor, and deep-sea mining involves mining activities at a depth of more than 200 meters. The seabed contains critical minerals like cobalt, copper, nickel, and other rare earth elements.

The letters sounded the alarm about the CCP’s dominance of 95 percent of the global supply chains in critical mineral resources, as well as its processing capability that could “turn these materials into finished products that are crucial to U.S. weapons systems.”

“We cannot afford to allow China to capture and exploit seabed resources, which the CCP has characterized as ‘a new frontier for international competition,’” the lawmakers warned. “We must explore every avenue to strengthen our rare earth and critical minerals supply chains.”

The letters noted that the CCP’s control of this sector is built on environmental violations and human rights abuses, “including attacks against grassroots leaders, water pollution, ecosystem destruction, and unsafe working conditions.”

This year, the CCP has issued a series of export restrictions on its critical mineral resources to tighten the regime’s control of these sources. In November, it imposed export control on rare earths. In July, Beijing announced the export ban of gallium and germanium, two rare metals in manufacturing semiconductors.

China dominates the global supply chain of rare earths. In 2022, China accounted for 70 percent of global rare earth mineral production, up from 59 percent in 2021, according to data compiled by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

China accounted for 80 percent of the gallium production in the world and 60 percent of germanium, according to the Critical Raw Materials Alliance.

China also secures its dominance over the global lithium supply chain as Chinese firms keep expanding their footprints in overseas lithium mines.

The lawmakers cited national security strategies to address critical mineral supply chain risks to alert the Pentagon of the importance “of evaluating and planning for seabed mining as a new vector of competition with China for resource superiority and security” to improve the U.S. defense supply chain’s resilience.

The lawmakers then requested information from the Department of Defense regarding using and assessing deep-sea polymetallic nodules in the National Defense Stockpile Program.

“We cannot afford to cede another critical mineral resource to China,” the lawmakers warned. “The United States, and specifically, the Department of Defense, should be engaging with allies, partners, and industry to ensure that China does not seize unfettered control of deep-sea assets.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.

Deep-sea Mining

The deep seabed harbors small polymetallic nodules abundant in manganese, cobalt, copper, nickel, and rare earth elements. These deposits are found in international waters, typically located hundreds to thousands of miles away from shore and occurring at depths of 200 meters or more.

Deep-sea mining is regulated by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which was founded in 1994 under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The ISA can issue licenses for exploration and exploitation of seabed mineral resources to party nations to UNCLOS.

According to a report from the Congressional Research Service, China has been granted five of the 31 total deep-sea exploration licenses from the ISA, the highest among all countries.

When these licenses become effective by 2025, China will have the exclusive rights to excavate 92,000 square miles of international seabed, covering 17 percent of the total area currently licensed by ISA, or nearly the size of Oregon, The Washington Post reported.

“China is putting pressure on ISA to accelerate its decision-making process to adopt regulations by 2025 or sooner–a demand that comes on the heels of ISA missing a deadline to establish a regulatory framework earlier this year–at which point mining can begin,” the lawmakers wrote.

The United States has not ratified UNCLOS, and therefore it cannot sponsor U.S. companies seeking ISA licenses to explore or exploit seabed mineral resources beyond the United States’ exclusive economic zone.

Dorothy Li contributed to this report.