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China Is Said to Halt Exports to U.S. of Some Key Minerals
New York Times ^

Posted on 10/19/2010 12:53:34 PM PDT by jhpigott

By KEITH BRADSHER Published: October 19, 2010

HONG KONG — China, which has been blocking shipments of crucial minerals to Japan for the last month, has now quietly halted shipments of some of those same materials to the United States and Europe, three industry officials said on Tuesday.

The Chinese action, involving rare earth minerals that are crucial to manufacturing many advanced products, seems certain to further ratchet up already rising trade and currency tensions with the West. Until recently, China typically sought quick and quiet accommodations on trade issues. But the interruption in rare earth supplies is the latest sign from Beijing that Chinese officials are willing to use their growing economic muscle.

“The embargo is expanding” beyond Japan, said one of the three rare earth industry officials, all of whom insisted on anonymity for fear of business retaliation by Chinese authorities. They said Chinese customs officials imposed the broader shipment restrictions Monday morning, hours after a top Chinese official had summoned international news media Sunday night to denounceUnited States trade actions.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: china; economy; industry; minerals; rareearth; rareearthminerals
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To: jhpigott
China is not our friend. Neither is Obama.
41 posted on 10/19/2010 1:54:06 PM PDT by Armaggedon
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To: jhpigott

I wonder how the Liberal Free Trader Globalists will spin this one. I am afraid to read the posts.

This is what you get when you Free Trade with Communist China. And, the Liberal Globalists in both parties do not have the nads to slap a tariff on Commie Chinese goods to counter the Communist Chinese Trade War on the USA

Instead of the stupid “You’re an Isolationist/Protectionist” and “Smoot-Hawley caused the Great Depression” nonsense replies from the Liberal Free Traders...it is time to start getting tough on the Communist Chinese, and all other countries, who tariff and traxde barrier US exports


42 posted on 10/19/2010 1:54:36 PM PDT by UCFRoadWarrior (They don't let you build churches in Mecca)
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To: jhpigott

On October 15, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced that the United States has initiated an investigation under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act with respect to acts, policies, and practices of the Government of China affecting trade and investment in green technologies. The investigation has been initiated in response to a petition filed by the United Steelworkers (USW) on September 9, 2010.

The petition alleges that China employs a wide range of World Trade Organization’s (WTO) inconsistent policies that protect and unfairly support its domestic producers of wind and solar energy products, advanced batteries, and energy-efficient vehicles, among other products, as China seeks to become the dominant global supplier of these products. According to the petition, these policies include export restraints, prohibited subsidies, discrimination against foreign companies and imported goods, technology transfer requirements, and domestic subsidies causing serious prejudice to U.S. interests. The petition further alleges that China’s policies have caused the annual U.S. trade deficit in green-technology goods with China to increase substantially since China joined the WTO, making China the top contributor to the U.S. global trade deficit in the sector.

Related? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2610619/posts


43 posted on 10/19/2010 2:01:51 PM PDT by EBH (We have lost our heritage of "making money.")
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“Mass extraction of rare earth will cause great damage to the environment and that’s why China has tightened controls over rare earth production, exploration and trade,” Chen was quoted by state news agency Xinhua as saying on Saturday

Happy to hear they finally care about the environment. I flatly don't believe it, and dismiss it as misdirection. They are perfectly happy to manufacture all of our mercury-containing CFL's, as well as export trinkets to our kids made of cadmium. They greedily buy containers full of our old computer and electronics waste because we cannot economically recycle it here. Part of the reason we exported all those jobs is that they are not constrained by EPA regulations. It's not just about cheap labor.

They have simply found a more palatable way to say, "You are losing a war you do not even know you are fighting."

If we could throw our electroplating waste into the nearest storm drain, we would still be doing all our own here.

We see the same thing with Mexico. So many of our foundries have closed, because it pollutes the air. So..Buy brake rotors for your car and see where they are made. All we did was move the operation across the River. The net effect on the enviroment is zero, at best.

We have to stop shuffling papers and get back to work here, IF we are allowed to.

44 posted on 10/19/2010 2:06:56 PM PDT by Gorzaloon ("Mother...My Couric itches.")
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To: brownsfan

Here! Here! I agree.

The best revenge is doing better WITHOUT China or its products. We can restart our nation on the road to a more modern industrial base.


45 posted on 10/19/2010 2:08:10 PM PDT by SatinDoll (NO FOREIGN NATIONALS AS OUR PRESIDENT!)
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To: Will88
This is one significant negative concerning the collapse of the old USSR. That event made it possible for all to many in our government and corporate world to start ignoring national defense needs, and to pretend that it didn't matter if we no longer produced some critical raw materials, or no longer produced much of the materiel needed by the armed forces.

The USSR forced many to focus on those needs, many who were looking for any excuse to get out from under those national defense restrictions on how they did business.


Interesting perspective. I had not thought of it that way, but the time line is correct and it makes sense. IIRC, the collapse approximately coincided with the election of Bush I, and the beginning of the aggressive push toward globalization and the NWO.

Thanks!
46 posted on 10/19/2010 2:26:32 PM PDT by algernonpj (He who pays the piper . . .)
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To: goldendays
"No green jobs now."

No lasers, either.

47 posted on 10/19/2010 2:37:25 PM PDT by crusty old prospector
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To: jhpigott

We need to send teams to start exploring the bordering area of Mongolia, Afghanistan etc and other countries to see if they don’t have some of these minerals too.


48 posted on 10/19/2010 2:48:34 PM PDT by GeronL (http://libertyfic.proboards.com <--- My Fiction/ Science Fiction Board)
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To: utherdoul

Who owns those mines now?


49 posted on 10/19/2010 2:49:35 PM PDT by GeronL (http://libertyfic.proboards.com <--- My Fiction/ Science Fiction Board)
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To: jhpigott

Where is Hank Rearden when we need him?


50 posted on 10/19/2010 3:04:33 PM PDT by FarRightFanatic (It wasn't an election. It was a socialist coup.)
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To: GeronL
The Mountain Pass mine (currently idle) is owned by Molycorp Minerals, LLC, which in turn is owned by Molycorp, Inc.
51 posted on 10/19/2010 3:08:58 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: Gorzaloon
We have to stop shuffling papers and get back to work here, IF we are allowed to.

I fully agree. I doubt it happens until something very bad happens.

52 posted on 10/19/2010 3:09:04 PM PDT by ecomcon
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To: stocksthatgoup

He’s probably too busy working on his upcoming mythbusters appearance.


53 posted on 10/19/2010 3:09:41 PM PDT by mrmeyer ("When brute force is on the march, compromise is the red carpet." Ayn Rand)
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To: jhpigott
I see this as more of a positive result of an unstated policy that revolved around “let China deplete as much of their Rare Earth deposits as possible while conserving our own deposits”.

Eventually, China will have to acquire their Rare Earth metals from the rest of the world as the bulk of theirs are running short. While this may or may not have been our governments goal, the long term result is not necessarily a good thing for China.

Sometimes I think the same unstated goal for oil seems to be in effect, but maybe I'm just looking at it from a different perspective.

54 posted on 10/19/2010 3:14:38 PM PDT by Pox (Good Night. I expect more respect tomorrow.)
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To: Seeking the truth; gonzo; Matchett-PI; Bob Ireland; MinuteGal; Guenevere; Peter W. Kessler
.I had no idea of the significance of “Rare Earths”...

All those bands from the 60's are "Gold" to me !!

FloRida FReeper FRegards!

55 posted on 10/19/2010 3:25:27 PM PDT by mcmuffin (Keep your powder and tobacco dry)
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To: FarRightFanatic

Who is John Galt?


56 posted on 10/19/2010 5:02:51 PM PDT by NoAmnesty (I don't have a tagline, but if I did, it would be here!)
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To: stocksthatgoup
Obama is out campaigning. Or is he playing golf?

Doesn't matter.
Whatever the Obama regime is doing is at the behest of the Steelworkers UNION, it seems.

57 posted on 10/19/2010 5:50:19 PM PDT by Publius6961 ("In 1964 the War on Poverty Began --- Poverty won.")
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To: Nachum

Not good, not good at all...


58 posted on 10/19/2010 7:19:25 PM PDT by HollyB
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To: HollyB

Watching this one.


59 posted on 10/19/2010 7:24:49 PM PDT by Nachum (The complete Obama list at www.nachumlist.com)
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To: NoAmnesty

And who is ready to start building Galt’s Gulch?


60 posted on 10/19/2010 9:14:37 PM PDT by FarRightFanatic (It wasn't an election. It was a socialist coup.)
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