For three weeks, China has blocked shipments of rare-earth minerals to Japan, a move that has boosted the urgency of efforts to break Beijing's control of these minerals. China now produces nearly all of the world's supply of rare earths, which are crucial for a wide range of technologies.
China's leadership is by default, not because they have the world's only potential mines. The article does not mention that the USA was once the world leader in rare-earth production until competition from cheap Chinese products put our mines into mothballs. Talk about a "shovel-ready" project. Another problem on which our distinguished leadership (spit) is out to lunch on.
As I understand it, rare earths mining moves an awful lot of rock to get a small amount of product, very destructive to the local environment, which is the other reason we were happy to let China take it over, just like we're happy to let them and Mexico absorb the toxic by-products of computer chip manufacturing.
Still, when a country that hopes to take over the world engages in overaggressive behaviour, action must be taken. |
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