§3372 Monitoring mineral investments under Belt and Road Initiative of People’s Republic of China

Summary

The Director of National Intelligence must, within 1 year after December 27, 2020, give certain Congress committees a report about mineral investments tied to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The report must describe important past investments, say whether and how those investments let China control more minerals, note any attempts by China to oppose the State Department’s Energy Resource Governance Initiative, and explain China’s strategy for mineral investments. At the same time, the Director must send a list of minerals where China is increasing extraction or processing, buying major mining or processing facilities, keeping or raising export limits, gaining strong control of supplies, showing big price differences between China and world markets, or causing big price rises or volatility because of the Belt and Road work. The report and list must be updated at least once a year, be unclassified (but may have a classified annex), and follow the rule about minerals already named under section 1606(c) of title 30. If a mineral on the list is not already labeled critical under section 1606(c) of title 30, the Director must work with several cabinet officials and the U.S. Trade Representative to decide if it is strategic for defense or national security and then recommend that the Secretary of the Interior formally list it. “Appropriate congressional committees” means the named Senate committees (Energy and Natural Resources; Foreign Relations; Armed Services; Finance; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Appropriations) and the named House committees (Energy and Commerce; Foreign Affairs; Armed Services; Ways and Means; Homeland Security; Appropriations).