China lifts export limits on rare earth minerals
Having lost its case before the World Trade Organization China has lifted the limits it had placed on the export of rare earth minerals back in 2009.
Because of low costs, China produces about 90% of all rare earths worldwide, needed for most high tech electronics. This decision eases a concern that has existed now for better part of a half decade.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Having lost its case before the World Trade Organization China has lifted the limits it had placed on the export of rare earth minerals back in 2009.
Because of low costs, China produces about 90% of all rare earths worldwide, needed for most high tech electronics. This decision eases a concern that has existed now for better part of a half decade.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
I doubt the Red Chinese will fully comply.
http://ceramics.org/ceramic-tech-today/china-defends-rare-earth-stance-smuggling-exceeding-legal-exports
http://rareearthinvestingnews.com/19427-rare-earth-smuggling-still-rife-in-china.html
China has had a problem with its REE industry.
They tried to force foreign investment into REE industries inside China by restricting exports of the raw materials. But it didn’t quite turn out as they hoped.
It turns out that governmental corruption is so bad in China that they could not stop the smuggling of the stuff out of the country.
Not small quantities but HUGE amounts were being smuggled out. Amounts larger than the total of the legal amounts shipped. Something in excess of 20,000 tons were smuggled out the year after the limits were imposed.
After years of trying to stop it with little to no arrests it looks like they finally gave in.
Corruption is so bad in China even moving in Army troops didn’t stop it. The new military commanders were just paid off like the old ones were.
Its believed by many that the real heads of the smuggling operations are in fact members of the Communist Party of China (or just ‘The Party’) and are those in charge of the provinces and regions. Thus almost untouchable.
The WTO ruling did little to change their minds. If they could have stopped the smuggling they could have ignored the WTO. Everyone would have been pretty much forced to come to them and thus the central national government for the minerals.