[LINK] China restricts rare earths

[Kim Holburn]

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/business/global/20rareside.html
> Decline in Rare-Earth Exports Rattles Germany

>  BERLIN — China’s curtailing of rare earth exports is causing so  
> much concern in Germany that industry and government are joining  
> forces by appealing to the European Commission and the World Trade  
> Organization to intervene, industry officials said Tuesday.
>
> China’s exports of rare earths declining by as much as 40 percent  
> worldwide over the past ten months, according to the Federation of  
> German Industry. That decline has set off alarm bells in Germany,  
> one of the world’s largest export-driven economies and whose  
> industry relies heavily on rare earths.
>
-----
>  BERLIN — China’s curtailing of rare earth exports is causing so  
> much concern in Germany that industry and government are joining  
> forces by appealing to the European Commission and the World Trade  
> Organization to intervene, industry officials said Tuesday.
>
> China’s exports of rare earths declining by as much as 40 percent  
> worldwide over the past ten months, according to the Federation of  
> German Industry. That decline has set off alarm bells in Germany,  
> one of the world’s largest export-driven economies and whose  
> industry relies heavily on rare earths.
>



http://www.livescience.com/technology/etc/101019-china-halts-shipments-tech-crucial-minerals.html
> China Halts Shipments to U.S. of Tech-Crucial Minerals

----
>  A nasty trade dispute appears to have prompted Chinese customs  
> officials to block shipments of rare earth minerals to the U.S.
>
> The move underscores a deepening U.S. vulnerability because of its  
> dependence upon China for tech-crucial rare earth minerals (also  
> known as rare earth elements). Small but significant amounts of the  
> minerals go into creating everything from PCs and cellphones to wind  
> turbines and hybrid cars, as well as U.S. military technologies such  
> as missile guidance systems.
>
> This latest news came from three rare earth industry officials cited  
> by the New York Times. The officials spoke on the condition of  
> anonymity for fear of backlash from China.
>
> China currently controls about 97 percent of rare earth production,  
> and has the only facilities capable of processing rare earth  
> minerals after they have been mined. Rare earth minerals are not  
> exactly rare, but the mining and refining processes can be costly  
> and time-consuming.
>
> Official Chinese plans have called for China to reduce rare earth  
> mineral exports to meet its own rising industrial demands. That  
> already indicated to many industry experts that countries such as  
> the U.S. would have to find alternate supplies soon.
>



-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
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