China-Africa Mining Transparency Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8621 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8621

To require the Secretary of State to annually issue a list of People's
Republic of China-origin entities carrying out mining involving forced
 labor or causing environmental harm in certain African countries, and
                          for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 2026

     Mr. Miller of Ohio (for himself, Mr. Moskowitz, and Mrs. Kim)
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
                            Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To require the Secretary of State to annually issue a list of People's
Republic of China-origin entities carrying out mining involving forced
 labor or causing environmental harm in certain African countries, and
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``China-Africa Mining Transparency
Act''.

SEC. 2. ANNUAL LIST OF PRC ENTITIES CARRYING OUT MINING INVOLVING
              FORCED LABOR OR CAUSING ENVIRONMENTAL HARM IN CERTAIN
              AFRICAN COUNTRIES.

    (a) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Artisanal and small-scale mining.--The term ``artisanal
        and small-scale mining'' means a form of mining common in the
        developing world that--
                    (A) typically employs rudimentary and low-cost
                extractive technologies and manual labor-intensive
                techniques;
                    (B) is frequently subject to limited regulation;
                and
                    (C) often features inhumane, harsh, and dangerous
                working conditions.
            (2) Critical mineral.--The term ``critical mineral'' has
        the meaning given that term in section 7002(a) of the Energy
        Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(a)).
            (3) Environmental harm to a protected area.--The term
        ``environmental harm to a protected area'' means damage to the
        environment of a protected area, such as--
                    (A) contamination of water resources, streams,
                rivers, lakes, or other bodies of water, including
                wells, aquifers, or soil;
                    (B) soil degradation or erosion; or
                    (C) degredation of aquatic or terrestrial
                ecosystems or biodiversity loss.
            (4) Forced labor.--The term ``forced labor'' has the
        meaning given that term in section 307 of the Tariff Act of
        1930 (19 U.S.C. 1307).
            (5) Large-scale mining.--The term ``large-scale mining''
        means capital-intensive, usually highly mechanized, typically
        industrial-scale mining carried out by large commercial
        entities.
            (6) PRC entity.--The term ``PRC entity'' means--
                    (A) an entity under the ownership, control, or
                influence of--
                            (i) the Government of the People's Republic
                        of China;
                            (ii) the Chinese Communist Party; or
                            (iii) a military, intelligence, or
                        paramilitary entity of the Communist Party of
                        China or the People's Republic of China;
                    (B) an entity that is organized under the laws of,
                or otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of, the
                People's Republic of China (including Hong Kong and
                Macau);
                    (C) an entity majority-owned, majority-controlled,
                or majority-financed by an entity described in
                subparagraph (A) or (B); or
                    (D) a parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or contractor
                of an entity described in subparagraph (A), (B), or
                (C), including a joint venture in which an entity
                described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) holds a
                controlling interest.
            (7) Protected area.--The term ``protected area'' means any
        area that has received protected status in the country in which
        the area is located, such as a national park, game refuge,
        ecosystem reserve, or other nature preserve.
            (8) Relevant congressional committees.--The term ``relevant
        congressional committees'' means the Committee on Foreign
        Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of
        the House of Representatives.
    (b) In General.--Not less frequently than once each year during the
5-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of State shall submit to the relevant congressional
committees, and make publicly available, including on the internet, a
list of--
            (1) each PRC entity that the Secretary reasonably assesses
        is carrying out mining, including large-scale mining or
        artisanal and small-scale mining, of critical minerals, gold,
        or iron in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria,
        Guinea, Zambia, South Africa, or Zimbabwe or other African
        countries--
                    (A) using forced labor; or
                    (B) in a manner that causes environmental harm to a
                protected area in the country concerned; and
            (2) each mine, mining zone, or concession at which such
        mining is carried out.
    (c) Development of List.--In developing each list required by
subsection (b), the Secretary of State shall--
            (1) use open-source information, including from press
        sources and academic, non-profit, and other non-state research
        organizations or individual researchers, and information
        received, collected, or otherwise obtained by United States
        embassies; and
            (2) consult with the Secretary of Labor, through the Bureau
        of International Labor Affairs of the Department of Labor, the
        Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of the Treasury, the Director
        of National Intelligence, and other heads of Federal
        departments and agencies, and the foreign country counterparts
        of such individuals in the listed countries in subsection
        (b)(1), as applicable.
    (d) Form.--Each list required by subsection (b) shall be made
publicly available and submitted to the relevant congressional
committees in unclassified form, but the version submitted to the
relevant congressional committees may include a classified annex, if
warranted.
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