Op-Ed: Chris Barnard and Aiden Buzzetti: American manufacturing will help us beat China
American political rhetoric is dominated by a desire to compete with China. While the economic and military threat posed by China may be our own accidental creation, it’s far from overblown. The Chinese Communist Party has a stranglehold over critical segments of the global economy. If push came to shove, the United States and its allies would find ourselves scrambling to make up the difference.
To secure American sovereignty and beat China on the world stage, the United States must re-engage in and win the global manufacturing race. A key component of this fight will be bringing manufacturing back home to the U.S. through strategic policies like the 45X advanced manufacturing tax credit.
Currently, China dominates the supply chains for at least twelve critical technologies crucial to American industrial competitiveness. China accounts for more than 80 percent of the world's manufacturing capacity for solar panels and battery cells, with energy manufacturing becoming the top economic driver in China for 2023. Despite recent investments, the United States continues to trail significantly, accounting for well under 10 percent of global manufacturing capacity in these crucial sectors.
"Beating China" is more than political rhetoric — it's an economic imperative. China's growing influence threatens American industrial strength and national security. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is buying up American farmland, spying on American citizens, and stealing American intellectual property. More alarmingly, the CCP has already weaponized its control over critical supply chains, including minerals essential to modern manufacturing, to gain geopolitical leverage on our allies.
This reality is precisely why re-industrializing America is so important. Over the past few years, investments in domestic manufacturing have increased by tens of billions of dollars, largely thanks to the 45X tax credit, which incentivizes domestic manufacturing across critical sectors. The credit supports the production of components for various technologies, including advanced manufacturing equipment, critical minerals processing, and industrial materials. 45X has played a key role in strengthening domestic supply chains and in bringing jobs back to the United States.
As Congress prepares for tax negotiations, the 45X credit must be preserved in its current form. By encouraging more manufacturing in the United States, we’re not only addressing national security concerns but strengthening America's industrial foundation — and bringing home jobs. It would be counterproductive to put such a vital incentive on the chopping block. The uncertainty around the program is already causing companies to pause development on plants, which is unacceptable for a movement that promised to halt decades of manufacturing decline.
Without robust domestic supply chains, the United States will continue falling behind in the pursuit of industrial sovereignty. Whether manufacturing efforts focus on critical mineral processing or advanced component production, reshoring American manufacturing is the only path forward.
We cannot achieve American economic dominance without American manufacturing. Winning the global manufacturing competition is not optional, and the 45X credit represents a critical piece of this industrial revival.
Securing supply chains for critical industries is not optional in an era of global competition. We will not be safe from Chinese components and market manipulation without a revitalized American manufacturing base. We must preserve the tools necessary to do so, or we place our fate in the hands of adversaries abroad.
Chris Barnard is the president of the American Conservation Coalition Action (ACC Action), the largest conservative environmental organization in the country.
Aiden Buzzetti is the president of the Bull Moose Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to relentlessly advocating for an American dominant future. Follow them on X @ChrisBarnardDL and @AidenBuzzetti.
