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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee Chairman Chris Smith delivered opening remarks at a subcommittee hearing titled, “Metals, Minerals, and Mining: How the CCP Fuels Conflict and Exploitation in Africa.” 

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-Remarks- 

The extraction of valuable minerals has long been a double-edged sword for many African nations. While these resources hold the potential for economic development, their exploitation—particularly when managed irresponsibly or under corrupt regimes—has often fueled violence and instability. The Democratic Republic of Congo has vast mineral wealth, especially in cobalt and gold and other very, very important minerals, which has been a significant driver of conflict. Illicit gold mining also fuels conflict in Ethiopia and Sudan. Armed groups have profited from the extraction and smuggling of these resources, financing their operations and perpetuating cycles of violence. The United Nations has reported that mineral smuggling finances warfare, with various military forces and commanders exploiting illegal mining for personal gain.

In the DRC, there’s also estimated more than 70% of the world’s cobalt—some say as much as 75%—an essential mineral for lithium-ion batteries for smartphones, computers, and electric vehicles, is extracted there with bare hands of thousands, in some estimates put as high as 35,000 children, by one of our witnesses today, Mr. Les Lenet. Thank you for your very heavily footnoted testimony. If that were not horrible enough, the 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report also stated that “observers noted that children in mining areas are vulnerable to sexual violence, including sex trafficking, in part due to traditional religious beliefs that harming children could protect against death or ensure successful mining,” end quote—an absurdity, but that’s what has been said.

China’s near-monopoly over the output and processing of Africa’s mineral resources ensures that these abuses continue unchecked. The expansion of illicit gold mining in Ethiopia has exacerbated existing conflicts as well. Regional states and non-state armed actors vie for control over mining concessions, using the revenues to bolster their influence and in some cases to challenge state authority. This competition has intensified local disputes and undermined efforts toward national cohesion. In Sudan, gold mining operations have been linked to funding armed conflicts. The control over lucrative mining areas often leads to violent confrontations between various factions, further destabilizing the region and hindering peace efforts.

Illegal mining has led to environmental degradation and social unrest. The involvement of foreign entities, including Chinese nationals, in these operations has strained local communities and contributed to tensions between populists and the authorities. In response to these challenges, I have reintroduced the Cobalt Supply Chain Act. This legislation aims to ensure that goods made using or containing cobalt refined in the People’s Republic of China do not enter the U.S. market—addressing concerns that such cobalt is extracted and processed with the use of child and forced labor in the DRC. Then it comes back in our defense and commercial supply chains. Security is a national security issue, and the reliance on China for these critical minerals is a clear vulnerability to the United States and to the Western world.

As Co-Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, I held a hearing in November of 2023 that highlighted the problem of Chinese Communist Party dominance in the DRC’s cobalt supply chain and how China profits from these unethical mining practices. I also chaired a hearing in July of 2022 at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on child labor and human rights violations in the mining industry of the DRC. One of our expert witnesses then said that child labor is one of the worst forms of child abuse—and that’s absolutely true. It is forbidden by both Congolese legislation as well as international rules and norms, and yet it continues.

The greatest beneficiaries of this system—China. China’s state-owned mining companies remain silent, refusing to confront an undeniable reality. From dirt to battery, from cobalt to cars, the entire supply chain is built on violence, exploitation, and corruption. This must change, and the time for change is now.

President Trump’s executive order for “immediate measures to increase American mineral production” is a crucial step toward strengthening our domestic supply chains. This action will create American jobs, drive economic growth, and reduce our reliance on foreign adversaries. The United States must break its dependence on minerals that finance the Chinese Communist Party, often extracted through forced child labor, and stop indirectly supporting the CCP’s efforts to fuel instability and regional conflict in Africa.

At the same time, as the CCP tightens its grip on global mineral markets, the U.S. must take decisive action. In line with this strategy, the U.S. Department of State has signaled openness to forming direct critical mineral partnerships with the DRC—an opportunity to strengthen collaboration in securing resources essential for our technological advancement and national security.

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