China holds the chokepoint on tungsten needed for U.S. munitions production
U.S. media are once again crying about being "choked off" by China—this time, it's tungsten.
On the 25th, NBC reported that due to massive ammunition consumption by the U.S. military in conflicts with Iran, American defense factories urgently need to ramp up production to replenish stockpiles. However, the tungsten required to manufacture these munitions is largely controlled by China—China supplies over 80% of the world’s tungsten, forcing the United States to seek alternative sources.
Yet, as usual, the U.S. media's explanation for America's "tungsten shortage" follows a classic narrative: mining and refining tungsten generate harmful waste and damage ecosystems, but China is willing to bear these environmental costs, thus dominating the global tungsten industry. In other words, the U.S. isn't incapable—it just has too much conscience.
This is utterly absurd. The real reason behind America's lack of tungsten has nothing to do with environmental ideals; rather, it stems from a completely broken industrial chain. Almonty Industries, a company engaged in tungsten mining, CEO Lewis Black put it bluntly: knowledge about the U.S. tungsten industry “was lost” as early as the 1990s—“there is no expertise left, no consultants to turn to, no reference books available.” Only then did China gradually fill the void in the market.
In short, since the U.S. chose to shift from manufacturing to finance—prioritizing financial services over industry—the decline of its manufacturing base was already inevitable. This is not something Trump can fix by scouring the globe for mines or assembling some “de-China” mineral alliance.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1866246469207044/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.