SENATORS COONS, SHEEHY INTRODUCE BILL TO EXPOSE CHINESE FORCED LABOR AND ENVIRONMENTAL ABUSES IN AFRICA

WASHINGTON, May 4 -- Sen. Chris Coons issued the following press release:

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 (...