Posted on 05/20/2019 10:30:55 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
China is threatening to take the trade war to the next stage: cut off rare earth metal supplies to US technology and defense industries.
That’s according to a couple of Globaltimes editorials.” US faces squeeze on rare earths,” says one editorial. “US need for rare earths an ace on Beijing’s hand,” goes another.
“Without a reliable domestic supply, the US must rely on rare earths from China to supply industries of strategic importance,” acknowledges Hu Weijia, author of the second editorial.
“Rare earths are vital to many modern technologies and a wide array of weapon systems used by the US military, but China controls the vast majority of the world's supply,” adds Weijia.“It will take many years if the US wants to rebuild its rare-earth industry and increase its domestic supply to reduce its dependence on China's minerals.”
That’s a long time, long enough for China to “win a trade war against the US, during which time China's monopoly on the production of rare earths will help Beijing control the lifeblood of the US high-technology sector.”
Ted Bauman, Senior Research Analyst and Economist at Banyan Hill Publishing, agrees. “If the Chinese implement an export ban and can ride out six months of U.S. tariffs, it could well force Trump to concede,” he says.
Still, he thinks that’s bad idea for China to throw this weapon into the arsenal of the trade war because “China will be seen by the rest of the world as an unreliable trading partner for these critical minerals, leading to rapid development of alternative sources.”
Meanwhile, America could search for new suppliers elsewhere.
“Another potential effect could be the U.S. finding or creating another place to potential mine these minerals,” says Jordan Awoye, Managing Partner at Awoye Capital.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Oh, wait - none of those three useless piles of dog squeezins did a thing about it...
More up to date information
http://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2016/finalwebsite/solutions/deposits.html
Rare Earth mines are important but China really wants 5G and wants it all.
This is a shakedown to try and fracture Intel-Apple-Qualcomm.
It won’t work this time.
1. Initiates domestic and other sources bringing more money back home and cripples Chinas position as what is the worlds present primary source.
2. Decapitates Difichispy and some fellow travelers.
Seems Trump & crew have already thought this through.
SO was he..........................
WHERE did we get rare earths - before China?
(cough) The United States
Recently opened. Mountain Pass in the USA
China has dominated rare earth mining since the 1990s, accounts for over 95% of the world’s production of rare earths. Therefore, having control of these elements puts China at a powerful position.
We know that Rare earths are ‘critical’ to dozens of high-tech industries, from solar panels and electric vehicles to guided missiles and jet engines...smartphones, large motors in wind turbines etc. etc.....We’re talking about tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars worth of industries that are potentially affected by rare earths.”
When China cut back sharply on REE exports in 2010, it triggered a global price spike, that exposed the superpower’s monopolistic grip on materials that are critical to dozens of high-tech industries.
America imported around 12,600 metric tons of rare earth compounds and metals in 2016, and nearly all of it originated in China. Although the US buys certain compounds and components from countries like Japan and France, the raw minerals for most of those imports come from China.
I just changed from buttons to zippers
Australia
Why no US production???
The China was bribing them way back. John Glenn was one of two senators that blocked inquiries into Bill Clinton's China donations.
For which Glenn got a ride on the SST.
Thanks SeekAndFind.
I'd call it a premeditated decision from the hidden hand of a global control cabal.
All this so called stupidity, has been done with the deliberate and express intent to destroy our nation.
Very difficult to mine and make a profit....plus regulations would also add to the expense...China just digs it up with no thought to regulations or danger to it’s peoples.
I remember a country that did exactly this in the 70’s - cut off a strategic resource and tried to leverage that into political control. Oil. Which we are now exporting as a consequence. Yes, prices will go up for a time, but we won’t be paying them. And then prices will come crashing down.
EPA regulations??
Rare earth mining is any easy target for environmentalists to take aim at because its waste products are so visible.
This is primarily because you have to move and process a lot and I mean a lot of material to get a thimble full of rare earths. Obviously the Chinese don’t care what environmentalists say and aren’t upset with the unsightly waste piles. The industry chose the path of least resistance. Do it in China where they are not going to sued and picketed every time I turn around. Of course there are national defense issues with that choice, something the Clintons & Zero don’t give two hoots about!
well buy as many as you can cuz we’re runnin out of zippium too
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