re barnes naysayers, page-55

"Greg Barnes, Tanbreez’s chief geologist, said Chinese participation in its project was unnecessary because the unique ore lacks usual contaminants — such as thorium or fluorine — and can be processed for a low cost with a high return of rare earths, eliminating the need for refining in China.“Our operation doesn’t need any Chinese technology, so we don’t need to go to them,” he said.However, industry analysts said that rare earth projects cannot avoid relying on China further down the value chain.“Chinese companies are considered leaders in complex technology to transform mineral concentrates into commercial products and China is the largest market,” said Patrik Andersson from Aalborg University. “Therefore, it is difficult to envisage how a project that completely excludes Chinese expertise could succeed.”
https://www.ft.com/content/f418bb86-bdb2-11e9-89e2-41e555e96722