Oil industry expert Daniel Yergin has argued that the US is desperate to have an independent supply chain from China.
China’s dominance of minerals – especially copper needed for electrification, data centers, robots, cellphones and defense technology – is forcing the United States to increase its control over oil and minerals around the world, argues Daniel Yergin, one of the world’s top experts on the economics of oil.
In this episode, Yergin explains how Venezuela, Greenland, Iran, Russia and other issues are connected to the oil business and the competition to control the Earth’s minerals. And while U.S. President Donald Trump’s intentions in Venezuela and Greenland remain unclear, Yergin says one thing is certain: The U.S. is desperate for supply chain independence from China.
Published on January 18, 2026