The critical minerals powering the U.S.’s defense systems, semiconductors, and electric vehicles are being extracted by forced labor. As the world’s democracies gather for the G7 summit this week, President Donald Trump has the opportunity and strategic interest to do something about it. 

Reducing dependence on Chinese critical minerals, which are tainted with state-imposed forced labor and the repression of the Uyghur population, is already central to Trump’s G7 agenda. However, the United States and its G7 allies, the leading industrialized nations, should use this moment to demonstrate commitment to collective national security by rejecting the use of forced labor in global commerce and increasing America’s economic competitiveness.