By Shane Lasley
Mining News
Rare earths – more than trade war weapons
China's strategy to control the lifeblood of US high-tech sector North of 60 Mining News – June 7, 2019
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Last updated 9/25/2020 at 4:54pm
Peggy Greb, U.S. Department of Agriculture
China has a near monopoly on the processing of the 17 rare earth elements that are increasingly important to a growing number of high-technology applications. Clockwise from top center: praseodymium, cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, samarium, and gadolinium.
When it comes to rare earths, China has a strategy that goes beyond using these high-tech elements as ammunition for the next salvo in a trade war with the United States.
This strategy, which was set into motion around 1980, involves gaining an advantage in high-tech manufacturing by controlling the first three links of the rare earth element supply chain – mining, processing and value-added...
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