China’s Mineral Exploitation in Africa Threatens US National Security, Congress Hears

China is securing dominance in the global minerals sector by propping up illegitimate regimes, bribing government officials for mining rights, and actively encouraging gross violations of human rights, according to testimony given to the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa on Tuesday. Beijing is also building a huge stock of gold, the price of which recently hit a record high of more than $3,000 per ounce, to possibly create a new currency aimed at rivaling the United States dollar, members of Congress were told. During a hearing titled “Metals, Minerals, and Mining: How the CCP Fuels Conflict and Exploitation in Africa,” several expert witnesses testified that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) model on the continent is based on exploiting Africa’s natural resources to the detriment of U.S. national security....