China Is Said to Halt Exports to U.S. of Some Key Minerals
19th October 2010
My, what a surprise. Aren’t you surprised? I’m sure surprised.
China mines 95 percent of the world’s rare earth elements, which have broad commercial and military applications, and are vital to the manufacture of diverse products including large wind turbines and guided missiles. Any curtailment of Chinese supplies of rare earths is likely to be greeted with alarm in Western capitals, particularly because Western companies are believed to keep much smaller stockpiles of rare earths than Japanese companies do.