USGS Report Shows China’s Minerals Dominance Persists, Underscoring the Urgency for Comprehensive Action

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The USGS today released its annual Mineral Commodity Summaries report, which found the U.S. continues to be 100 percent import reliant for 16 minerals and is reliant on imports for more than one-half of the U.S. apparent consumption for 54 nonfuel mineral commodities. Comparatively, 2024's data found the U.S. was 100 percent import reliant for 15 minerals and more than one-half import reliant for 46 non-fuel minerals.

"The U.S. is finally taking important steps to confront our minerals crisis, but this report underscores just how hard it is to put a dent in China's decades-long strategy to dominate the world's minerals markets," said Rich Nolan, President and CEO of the National Mining Association (NMA). "We have an administration and Congress that have united around the need to de-risk our supply chains and reshore minerals production and processing, but it still takes an average of 29 years to bring a mine online in the U.S. That's far too long. Quick action by the administration has been key in jumpstarting domestic mining efforts but we need Congress to act on permitting reform to create the kind of lasting certainty that mining companies need in order to make long term investments in U.S. projects. China will not relinquish its chokehold on U.S. mineral supply chains easily. We must fully recognize the scale of the challenge before us and commit to doubling down on our efforts to tackle it."

Key points from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries:

• In 2025, the United States was 100 percent net import reliant for 16 minerals, compared with 15 in 2024, and imports made up more than one-half of the U.S. apparent consumption for 54 nonfuel mineral commodities, up from 46 in 2024.
• China and Canada were the leading source of mineral commodities with a greater than 50 percent import reliance, with China the lead supplier for eight of these and was a major supplier of six others.
• Of the mineral commodities included in the Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals, the United States was 100% net import reliant for 13 mineral commodities, (up from 12 in 2024), and an additional 20 critical mineral commodities (including 14 lanthanides, which are listed under rare earths) had a net import reliance greater than 50 percent of apparent consumption (down from 28 in 2024).

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