President Biden talks tough about winning on green energy. But China is already ahead in one critical area.

When speaking about competition with China, President Joe Biden can sound as if he's taken the mic at a pep rally.

"They think they're gonna win. Well I got news for them, they will not win this race. We can't let them," Mr. Biden said during his remarks Tuesday at the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan.  The "race" is the competition to produce green energy technologies. Global superpowers are vying to dominate the critical minerals market — the raw materials such as copper, nickel, lithium, zinc and rare earth elements that are the building blocks of this century's energy sector. These minerals are used in electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines, as well as smartphones, robotics and military equipment.