China eyes ban on rare metal exports
AUG 27, 2009
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.023634
Daily Telegraph : A draft report by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has called for a total ban on foreign shipments of terbium, dysprosium , yttrium , thulium , and lutetium . Other metals such as neodymium , europium , cerium , and lanthanum will be restricted to a combined export quota of 35,000 tonnes a year, far below global needs.China mines over 95pc of the world’s rare earth minerals, mostly in Inner Mongolia . The move to hoard reserves is the clearest sign to date that the global struggle for diminishing resources is shifting into a new phase. Countries may find it hard to obtain key materials at any price.Rare metals play a vital role in most cutting edge technology, from hybrid cars and catalytic converters , to superconductors , and precision-guided weapons .
© 2009 American Institute of Physics
