Posted on 03/01/2021 8:15:18 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
WASHINGTON—The Chinese communist regime has recently signaled that it could leverage its dominance in rare earth minerals, raising alarm bells in the United States. The threat has prompted the Biden administration to take action to reduce U.S. reliance on China for rare earth metals that are used in everything from smartphones to electric vehicles to fighter jets.
In 1992, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping predicted the importance of rare earths to China’s future when he famously said, “The Middle East has oil. China has rare earths.”
Today, China is the dominant global supplier of rare earths, a group of 17 chemical elements used in the production of critical components of key technologies, which could easily be used as a weapon against other countries in a trade war or a conflict.
Beijing has already demonstrated that it could use rare earth elements as a retaliatory tactic. In 2010, China abruptly cut off exports of these elements to Japan during a conflict over a fishing boat. And at the height of the U.S.-China trade spat in 2019, Beijing sought to use rare earth exports as a “counter-weapon” against the United States.
And most recently, the Chinese regime officials reportedly explored whether curbing the export of rare earth minerals to the United States could cripple its production of F-35 fighter jets.
Faced with the threat of losing access to rare earth materials, the Biden administration is now seeking ways to reduce America’s deep reliance on China. President Joe Biden on Feb. 24 signed an executive order to “help create more resilient and secure supply chains for critical and essential goods.”
The order focuses on choke points in the supply chains of four key products, including rare earth minerals, semiconductor chips, large-capacity batteries for electric vehicles, and pharmaceutical ingredients.
(Excerpt) Read more at theepochtimes.com ...
America’s enemies right here in the US will find a way to stop this. Just watch.
$LAC
Finally!
So it’s going to be ok once again to mine rare earth metals? The extreme environmental regs on REM extraction killed the industry. I doubt that Biden & Co. will relax those regs one iota.
If it is ok to extract REMs, then why isn’t it ok to extract fossil fuels?
“may”
There’s that word again.
So here we go back to bombing Afghanistan, right?
Sources say.
I think it is an order for show only. They are trying to shut down fracking.
“Unnamed” source say...
There’s a bunch of these types of unprofessional factoids
in or about articles these days.
Those warlords could make a lot of money if it was not for their evil “religion.”
https://www.livescience.com/47682-rare-earth-minerals-found-under-afghanistan.html
One of the few mines in the US is in Utah. Kind of makes Mitts coziness with the GND a little more understandable.
US used to mine like 90% of the world rare Earth minerals in mine in Mountain Pass California (actually close to Vegas, but in CA unfortunately). Then environmental regulations kicked in and mining shifted to China. China now holds the monopoly and just decides who gets what by what price.
Mountain pass was put out of business, then it was restarted, when China first started acting as monopoly, but it was killed again by the Chinese + regulation.
Maybe now? It is really sad story.
And pigs MAY fly.
President Trump suggested buying Greenland and people mocked him. Now we’re wondering where to get REM if China doesn’t cooperate? SMH
You are correct. The Mountain Pass Mine on I-15 just a few miles south of the NV/CA line is sitting there with all the gear ready to go for years. The US could order it operational under a war powers act with no problem. China Joe will never do it!
Getting ready...for I just want to celebrate
xxxxxxxxxxxx
PING to
#13.
One of the reasons we are getting chummy with Viet Nam is that they have huge reserves of rare earth minerals, about half as much as China. And, they hate China.
There is an indication that SW Afghanistan also has huge reserves.
Not gonna happen with these America hating chinese lackies in charge.
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