Maine Senate Candidate Advocates Cooperation With China on Clean Energy

Graham Platner, a progressive candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, said the United States should pursue cooperation with China instead of opposition. He described a hawkish posture toward Beijing as absurd and tied the recommendation to joint work on clean energy to address climate change.

Platner, an oyster farmer and Marine veteran, is endorsed by Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Polls indicate he is positioned to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the upcoming election.

Platner argued that cooperation on clean energy would help make fossil fuels obsolete and promote peace and prosperity. He presented the approach as a way to reduce reliance on traditional energy sources. China remains the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases and generates most of its electricity from coal.

The country also maintains dominant positions in the refining of critical minerals used in clean energy technologies.

According to the International Energy Agency, China leads in refining 19 of 20 strategic minerals with an average market share of 70 percent. The country controls 80 percent or more of the global battery supply chain's midstream and downstream segments.

In 2025, China imposed export controls on lithium-ion battery supply chains and earlier this year restricted rare earth elements, cutting U.S. yttrium imports by about 95 percent. The candidate's comments come as discussions continue over U.S. energy strategy and international competition in clean technology sectors.