中東石油、中國稀土

【Comment】

No high tech, no US forces. No US forces, no Pax Americana. No PA, no “our freeom”.
However, the US as well as Canada , Australia , have rare earths deposits. Could they develop technologies to bypass China Barriers which has full rare earths elements deposits?
It, along with the carbon dioxide reduction, reveals free trade and globalization is a slogan. Below are extracts from a company’s outlook of Rare Earths materials:

“In today’ s world, nearly 100% of the global supply of Rare Earth elements, high power Neodymium Iron Boron (NdFeB) magnets and all intermediate magnet materials are controlled by, produced in, or manufactured from materials sourced exclusively out of China…No technically viable alternatives to these Rare Earth materials are currently known for these application. Without continued export of Chinese Rare Earth materials, there would be no means to manufacture these technologies outside of China. Both production of Rare Earth materials in China and export of those materials outside of China are strictly controlled by government imposed quotas…Global shortages of these materials may be seen as early as 2010, with shortages becoming severe by 2012…The Chinese government clearly recognizes the strategic nature of its Rare Earth deposits and is actively taking steps to insure the longevity and security of its Rare Earth resources for its own domestic consumption.”

中國壟斷稀土 美軍方應變　■聯合（2009.09.22）

21日出版的「國防新聞」周刊頭條新聞及社論，都指中國壟斷控制稀土出口，迫使美國國防部開始研究各項武器系統的稀土成分來源。

「國防新聞」引述科羅拉多州Molycorp Minerals LLC稀土公司總裁史密斯的話說，美國武器系統使用的稀土，100%來自中國。而中國哄抬稀土價格並限制出口，是為向使用稀土的高科技公司施壓，讓它們在中國設廠。

社論支持五角大廈研究美國對這個未來可能的敵手，依賴程度究竟有多大。

中國已故領導人鄧小平曾說，「中東有石油，中國有稀土。」

稀土是21世紀高精尖科技及武器系統的最核心材料。而中國為全球最大稀土生產國和出口國，獨占全球98%的市場。

「國防新聞」說，中國近來以每年減少出口稀土10%的方式抬高市價。原本每磅4、5美元的稀土，今夏已漲至約17美元。北京政府現在又計畫限制稀土元素與特有金屬的出口，估計2012年中國的稀土產量將與內需相當。

舉凡iPod、手機、電漿電視、電腦、雷射、衛星通信、導航系統，都需要稀土元素。

美國在70至80年代，是全球稀土最大出產國。但是稀土金屬具輕微放射性，開採及提煉過程會造成環境污染，具輕微放射性。而中國在90年祭出廉價政策，奪取了全球市場。

【相關閱讀】
稀土壟斷大戰
China's Mineral Monopoly　■Defense News(2009.09.21)

American Rare Earth Minerals: The Indispensable Resource for Clean Energy Technologies

GOOD NEWS: U.S. Resources are Second Most Abundant

◎The U.S. possesses the largest non-China rare earth resource in the world at Molycorp Mineral’s Mountain Pass Mine, located in California .

◎The Mountain Pass Mine is a superior rare earth ore body both in quality (high grade) and quantity. The USGS once referred to the Mountain Pass rare earth deposit as “the greatest concentration of rare-earth minerals now known”.

◎With the appropriate commitment to technology development and capital, the U.S. can utilize its own resources to ensure a secure domestic supply of indispensable rare earth minerals for batteries, magnets, light bulbs and water filtration systems.

◎Through appropriate collaborative research with national laboratories, the U.S. can ensure that it recaptures the world leadership position in rare earth technology.

BAD NEWS: Critical Clean Energy Technology is restricted by Mineral Dependence and Lack of Manufacturing Infrastructure

◎China controls over 97% of the world’s current rare earth supply.

◎Utilizing its dominant rare earth production and highly restrictive export controls, China promises rare earth resource availability only if the metal, magnet and other production facilities are located in China, forcing the clean energy technology industry to relocate research, technology, manufacturing plants and jobs to China.

◎In 2003, Magnaquench, the world’s largest producer of bonded Neodymium magnetic powders, was forced to relocate its operations and 225 jobs from the U.S.(Indiana) to China .

http://www.molycorp.com/pdf/MMCEMARCH09.pdf