Rare Earth

[ricohflex]

(Edited)

Hot commodity now. TV news says China supplies 90% of rare earth being traded. Rare earth is used in many modern things especially electronics, including camera lenses and lens coatings. Some countries have rare earth too but refuse to develop the mining and extraction because the process is very polluting to their countries. So they let China mine and pollute its environment. And then they complain loudly that China does not want to sell rare earth to them at low prices.

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/0...an-complain-to-wto-over-chinas-rare-earth-ban

Many countries have rare earth. See this chart.
http://www.cs-re.org.cn/rebbs/attachments/month_1004/20100402_af95c060400664ed4f83k98Dvuisvhbh.gif

China only has 40% according to this article.
http://www.cs-re.org.cn/en/modules.php?name=news&file=article&sid=35

Besides pollution, the other reason for what the other countries are doing, may be long-term-strategic. Rare earth, like oil is a wasting asset. So the other countries' plan is to buy China's rare earth at low prices until China has depleted its rare earth deposits. When China has none left, then it is their turn to use their own rare earth deposits or jack up sky high prices when selling what is left to others.

This is probably the reason why USA is buying oil from Middle East, when it has VAST oil deposits of its own.

 

[Reno]

Hot commodity now. TV news says China has 90% of supply. Rare earth is used in many modern things especially electronics, including camera lenses and lens coatings. Some countries have rare earth too but refuse to develop the mining and extraction because the process is very polluting to their countries. So they let China mine and pollute its environment. And then they complain loudly that China does not want to sell rare earth to them at low prices.

Actually, I do not think they let china mine and pollute its environment, in fact, they cannot control china mining activities in china.

 

[Big Kahuna]

There is an ang more phrase, U don't **** at ur own back Yard, but u can **** at PRC and Msian back yard, how true, clap clap

 

[theRBK]

Hot commodity now. TV news says China has 90% of supply. Rare earth is used in many modern things especially electronics, including camera lenses and lens coatings. Some countries have rare earth too but refuse to develop the mining and extraction because the process is very polluting to their countries. So they let China mine and pollute its environment. And then they complain loudly that China does not want to sell rare earth to them at low prices.

actually they are protesting not that China does not want to sell to them at low price, but that China is restricting the amount it is selling and even considering stopping all exports... so now, companies in Australia and US, amongst others, are actually looking at boosting/starting/restarting rare earth mining operations...