Senators Coons, Sheehy Introduce Bill to Expose Chinese Forced Labor and Environmental Abuses in Africa

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) introduced the China-Africa Mining Transparency Act of 2026 to unmask China's use of forced labor, child labor, and environmental abuse to mine critical minerals in Africa. The bill underscores the cost of reliance on rogue states like China to supply the minerals necessary for national security and economic prosperity.

People's Republic of China (PRC) firms are some of the largest investors in the mining industry in Africa. The Chinese government finances or outright owns many of these firms. Since 2006, China has invested more than $39 billion in mining operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Nigeria, Guinea, Zambia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. China is involved in the traditional large-scale mining sector and the artisanal and small-scale mining sector - a more rudimentary, labor intensive and generally unregulated or illegal form of mining which poses a significant risk of employing child labor.

Reports have documented China operating their mines in violation of labor standards and in a manner that causes environmental harm in Africa. This legislation pulls back the curtain on Chinese mining by directing the Secretary of State, in consultation with other agencies and their foreign counterparts, to develop a publicly available annual list of each PRC entity that is mining critical minerals in Africa using forced labor, child labor, or in a manner that causes environmental harm.

The China-Africa Mining Transparency Act directs the Secretary of State - in consultation with other heads of federal departments and agencies, and the foreign country counterparts of such individuals, as applicable - to develop a publicly available annual list of each PRC entity that the Secretary reasonably assesses is carrying out mining of critical minerals, gold, or iron in the DRC, Nigeria, Guinea, Zambia, South Africa, or Zimbabwe using forced labor or forced child labor, or in a manner that causes environmental harm to a protected area in the country concerned. The Secretary is also directed to identify each mine, mining zone, or concession at which such mining is carried out.

"Chinese companies should not be profiting off forced labor and environmental destruction in other countries. This bipartisan bill will make it harder for them to do just that, protecting children and the environment across the globe and our future here at home," said Senator Coons.

"As we restore American energy dominance and onshore critical mineral production, it is imperative that we expose the reality behind China's grip on critical minerals: forced labor, child exploitation, and environmental destruction. The United States cannot afford to rely on opaque and abusive supply chains for the resources that power our national security, and this bipartisan bill will bring long-overdue transparency and accountability," said Senator Sheehy.

"When it comes to protecting workers and the environment while responsibly producing the minerals we all need, the American mining industry does it best. Documenting the practices of overseas operations that are owned or controlled by Chinese Communist Party entities highlights the urgent need to secure our supply chains by emphasizing domestic mineral production," said Mark Compton, Executive Director, American Exploration & Mining Association.

"The International Conservation Caucus Foundation wishes to thank Senators Sheehy and Coons for their efforts to reinforce American leadership in the global mining sector, particularly in Africa, where critical mineral development intersects directly with national security, economic stability, and environmental stewardship. The United States has a strategic interest and a moral responsibility to promote lawful, environmentally responsible mining practices that uphold labor standards and protect vulnerable ecosystems. Countering the influence of the CCP and its exploitative practices in mineral supply chains is essential to securing the materials that power our modern economy and ensure that resource development does not fuel instability, corruption, or environmental degradation," said a representative of the International Conservation Caucus Foundation.

Read more on the bill here.

Read the full text of the bill here.