China Vulnerabilities: Moolenaar Warns of Dual-Use Tech Risks

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The House China Select Committee signals tougher scrutiny of critical minerals, defence technology, and Beijing’s military leverage

By TRH World Desk

New Delhi, February 4, 2026 — Warnings about China’s strategic reach are no longer abstract. According to House China Select Committee chairman John Moolenaar, they are measurable, structural, and increasingly dangerous.

Speaking about the committee’s mandate, Moolenaar said its core objective is to expose vulnerabilities that leave the United States economically, technologically, and militarily exposed to Beijing’s influence. A December report by the committee, he noted, examined how China manipulates pricing in critical minerals—resources that sit at the heart of modern industry, clean energy, and advanced defence systems.

This is not just a trade issue. Control over critical minerals translates into leverage across entire supply chains, from semiconductors to weapons platforms. In Moolenaar’s framing, economic dependence becomes strategic dependence.

The concern deepens in the defence domain. Moolenaar warned that much of China’s technological advancement carries dual-use potential—civilian innovations that can be rapidly adapted for military purposes. In a system where state and industry are deeply intertwined, the boundary between commercial progress and military capability is thin by design.

That reality takes on sharper urgency when viewed alongside Beijing’s increasingly threatening posture toward Taiwan. The combination of technological acceleration and military coercion, Moolenaar argued, creates a strategic environment the United States can no longer afford to treat piecemeal.

His prescription is twofold. First, Washington must strengthen its own economic and technological base—reducing exposure to Chinese supply chains and rebuilding domestic capacity in sensitive sectors. Second, deterrence cannot be rhetorical. A credible military posture remains essential to discouraging aggression, not just in the Taiwan Strait but globally.

The message from the China Select Committee is clear: competition with Beijing is no longer confined to tariffs or diplomacy. It spans minerals, microchips, military readiness, and the rules governing dual-use technology.

Ignoring those interconnections, Moolenaar suggests, is itself a vulnerability—and one China is adept at exploiting.