This opinion piece appeared in the Washington Times on Thursday, January 9, 2025
Author Adam Muellerweiss is the President of the Responsible Battery Coalition.
Sometimes, the most important news doesn’t make the front page. On Dec. 3, China announced a ban on exporting the strategic critical minerals gallium, germanium and antimony to the United States. The ban on these little-known minerals could have untold consequences for both countries.
China’s announcement is more than just a shot across the bow; it threatens the economic security and national security of the United States. The incoming president and Congress must take quick and decisive action in response.
Antimony is used to make military technology including night-vision goggles, infrared sensors and bullets. Antimony is also used in starter batteries, which are used in tanks, howitzers and every vehicle on the road in the United States. These batteries start the vehicle and are responsible for the safety features of all vehicles: SUVs, ambulances, even Air Force One.
These are not the electric vehicle batteries everyone has been talking about — these are recycled, low-voltage, conventional batteries we have relied on for decades. Without these batteries, our economy would shut down within 90 days.
China has already largely succeeded in seizing control of many of the world’s critical minerals. China now controls more than half the world’s antimony. After seven decades of producing it at home, the United States stopped mining it in the late 1990s. We even send mined material to China for processing. Two-thirds of our antimony imports come from China, and this source is now gone.
Prices have risen dramatically since China’s declaration, including by 40% within 24 hours of the announcement. Prices will only continue to rise, with knock-on effects on carmakers, making President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to fight inflation more difficult.
The good news is that the United States dominates starter battery technology. For decades, the United States has run a closed-loop system of recycling starter batteries, making us highly resilient. Nearly 100% of every battery you turn in at an auto shop or other retailer goes right back into making a new battery.
Read the full opinion piece here.
