WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Mining Association (NMA) issued the following comment from Rich Nolan, NMA President and CEO, on China’s expanded export restrictions of key minerals: “China has once again targeted the U.S. mining industry and is using our nation’s alarming mineral import reliance against us in response to U.S. efforts to counter its unfair trade practices. China’s ongoing weaponization of commodity markets underscores the urgent need to rebuild our domestic mining capacity and use every tool at our disposal to stand up the secure supply chains our economic and national security depend on. China’s mineral extortion is also a reminder of decades of U.S. mining policy failure that pushed investment and production overseas and created the untenable vulnerability we must now confront.”
At the same time, China announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. coal. While significant, its announcement comes at a time when global coal demand has hit a new high. Nolan commented, “U.S. coal exports go to more than 70 nations and are a critical, stabilizing force in global markets. While China tries to damage a core U.S. industry, we expect global demand for high-quality U.S. coal to remain robust.”
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