This is the google translation from Chinese media.In recent...

This is the google translation from Chinese media.

In recent years, rare earth problem is known as a hot topic in international politics. May 15, the United States, "National Defense" magazine website published the article, "almost completely dependent on China," said U.S. imports of rare earth. The article said that the U.S. precision-guided bombs from the battery to almost all need to use rare-earth weapons and equipment had to rely on China.

U.S. imports of rare earth by the Chinese

The article in battery production, for example, said U.S. material manufacturers are aware of the near monopoly of China rare earth market is a national security issue, is to encourage discussion on how to self-production of this valuable resource. The article points out, most American military battery production is outsourced to China. Vice president of the California Nanosystems Vijay Chandra Zaire said: "China is hot pursuit of us, the vast majority of our production of the battery casing - rely on the rare earth elements from China." At present, a lot of battery raw manufacturers set up factories in China, because China's labor and raw material prices far lower than in the United States. In this regard, Zaire, said: "If we sit idly by, our next-generation lithium-ion battery production will also depend on China."

April 25 and 30, the U.S. Congressional Research Service has introduced two rare-earth security special report - Rare Earth Elements in the "National Defense" and "China's rare earth industry and export. The report said the last century, the 1960s to 1980s, the United States was once the leader of the global rare earth production. Since then, rare earth production is almost monopolized by the Chinese. Part of the reason is that China's cheap labor, lower environmental standards. At present, 97 percent of the world's rare earth from China. China is the world's only commercial quality of an export country refining of rare earth elements. Once the Chinese cut off the supply chain, will have a tremendous impact on U.S. commercial and defense.

The report pointed out that the United States is a major consumer of rare earth elements product. In the military and civilian fields, many technology products require rare earth elements. Rare earth elements used in the U.S. industrial production is almost entirely dependent on imports from China, including oxides, phosphors, metals, alloys, magnets. In addition, the United States is growing concern that the United States is losing the ability to self-production of strategic and critical materials, which will be extremely detrimental to U.S. national security.

The report pointed out that the main concern of the Congress on the rare earth for the following reasons: First, the world almost totally dependent on a country of China to provide the rare earth; Second, the United States can not produce terbium, lutetium, yttrium and other heavy elements; three rare earth metals low yield of rare earth powder and Rubidium iron boron magnet; four, once the United States is unable to obtain these materials, the commercial and defense industries will be affected;, rare earth supply chain vulnerability will be negative on U.S. national security and strategic planning impact. Therefore, the report recommends, Congress should require the U.S. government strategic reserves of rare earth.

U.S. Department of Defense had in March issued a research report on the rare earth in China, saying China is coming to an end the monopoly of the rare earth production, because the United States and Canada are building their own production lines. The U.S. military will basically achieve self-sufficiency by 2013. However, the recent U.S. Congressional Research Service report said the overall rare earth production in the United States for at least 10 to 15 years to rebound.

Rare Earth - Industrial vitamins

The so-called rare-earth, in fact, the lanthanide elements in the periodic table. The end of the 18th century, rare earth elements have been found that people often insoluble in water, solid oxide known as soil, these elements are usually rare, and thus have called "rare earth". The rare earth elements including 17 kinds of elements - lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, and closely related to the lanthanides scandium and yttrium .

Rare earths are a lot of sophisticated industrial raw materials essential to use a wide range of electrical, magnetic, optical, and biological characteristics, is an important foundation of information, biological, energy and other high-tech areas and national defense construction materials, but also plays an important role in the transformation of agriculture, chemicals, building materials, and other traditional industries, and has a very broad market prospects and a very important strategic significance, it is aptly called the "industrial vitamins.

In the military field, rare earth called the industry "gold". Because of its excellent optical and electromagnetic physical characteristics of the military enterprises often use different synthesis performance, a wide variety of new materials. One of the most significant function of rare earth significantly improve the quality and performance of other products, such as for the manufacture of tanks, aircraft, missiles, special steel, aluminum, magnesium alloy, titanium and other metals and tactical performance. In addition, it is electronics, laser, nuclear industry, the superconducting and so many high-tech lubricants.

According to the U.S. Congress report said the U.S. military use of rare earth elements accounted for 5% of the total domestic consumption. The rare earth elements exist in two major categories of permanent magnet material. They are samarium cobalt magnets and NdFeB magnets, key material for the production of many weapon systems. NdFeB magnets is magnetic strongest permanent magnet in the world, its strong magnetic force makes the magnets in military weapon systems lighter and smaller. Samarium cobalt magnets in the temperature of the case can still keep the magnetic force, is the ideal material for production of precision-guided missiles, smart munitions and aircraft equipment parts. Some experts even believe that the U.S. military after the Cold War, several local wars embodiment of an overwhelming advantage with the use of rare earth science and technology are inseparable.

China's rare earth is not optimistic

China is the world's rare earth resources of the richest countries, has proven reserves of about 65.88 million tons. In addition, China's rare earth resources, minerals and elements complete, reasonable grade and ore distribution. At present, China rare earth industry occupies a number of world first: the total amount of the first reserves (especially in the military field has great significance and a relative shortage of heavy rare earth), the scale of production, exports in the world. In addition, China is still the world's only large supply of different grades, different varieties of rare earth products in the country. Deng Xiaoping once pointed out that the RE is our most strategic resource, "Middle East oil, we have a rare earth."

However, another rich resource depletion. Long-term did not cause the government attaches importance to the lack of effective supervision, the developed countries as a strategic resource of rare earth in China was only to be regarded as ordinary goods for foreign exchange, its price and even cheap over pork. The data show that during 1990-2005, the world's exponentially increasing demand for rare earth, rare earth in China's exports grew nearly 10 times, but the average price has been lowered to 64% of the initial price. Although China's rare earth industry occupies a number of the world, but no price in the international market, the right to speak.

The strength of foreign traders will often be at a low price to buy lots of Chinese rare earth products to be stored, prices stopped buying, the use of inventory, to be again cut prices again purchase. The absence of effective government countermeasures, our businesses can compete to cut prices to sell. Vicious competition, valuable rare earth elements neodymium, terbium, dysprosium, europium and other low-cost export, cerium, lanthanum, yttrium, is a large backlog. The data show that in early 2012, the global share of China's rare earth in seven years dropped from 96 percent in 2005 to 30%.

Developed manufacturing and electronics industries in Japan and South Korea is the largest buyer of Chinese rare earth products in importing countries, nearly 70% of exports of rare earth into the two countries. Has been in poor-mouth the United States actually is the world's second largest rare earth was sealed early in the largest rare earth mine in Mountain Pass mine, and terminate the production of molybdenum in favor of Chinese imported in large quantities. Its own reserves of smaller Western European in large numbers from China, the price of cabbage to buy rare earth. Addition to the purchase of these countries through investment in other ways to circumvent our laws, and called to participate in the development of rare earth, in fact, open plunder. Allegedly Japan accumulation of rare earth has enough to use three years.

The experts pointed out that if any such trend, China's exports of rare earth will one day opponents used against themselves, constitute a serious threat to national security and world peace.

At current production rates, according to Commerce Department data show that in China, China's in the weight class of rare earth reserves can only be maintained for 15 to 20 years and thereafter will likely need to import. "China is assuming the role of the majority of the world's rare earth supply, the results of paying the cost of consuming their own resources." Count Dracula, Italy Rare Earth Research experts have pointed out that two-thirds of China's rare earth reserves has lost its the actual reserves are less than 30 percent of the world.

In recent years, experts and scholars called rare-earth problem has aroused the attention of our government. In July 2010, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced a 72% reduction in exports of rare earths. In September the same year, China's maritime territorial dispute to suspend exports of rare earths. However, due to lack of the right to speak, in China in order to ensure the long-term development to take reasonable policy has been hamstrung Western media strongly condemned. March 13, 2012, Obama announced that the U.S. will join Japan and the EU restrictions on Chinese exports of rare earths to the WTO proceedings. As of today, the parties to achieve the outcome of the consultations. China's rare earth industry go from here, the future situation is still not optimistic.