Rare earth accumulations of Japan for decades is still a high-profile enough to ask the Chinese auth

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Rare earth accumulations of Japan for decades is still a high-profile enough to ask the Chinese auth 2012-08-03

"Middle East oil, China has a rare earth." This is Deng Xiaoping said in 1992 words. However, oil is also valuable than the earth, but not for the Chinese in exchange for substantial wealth. Dao Shi, Japan, the United States and other countries with large rare earth resources, by buying cheap Chinese Rare Earth, set up a "diamond in the rough" of the strategic reserve. It is said that Japan's deposit of rare earth in the sea for their use at least 20 years.

When China decided to limit export of rare earth, Japan has repeatedly asked China to expand exports of rare earth. Such unreasonable demands, China has explicitly rejected them.

Japan's high-profile pressure on China

The so-called rare earth, referring to the periodic table of chemical lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd) a total of 17 kinds of rare metals and other elements. RE is widely used in hybrid cars, mobile phones, superconductors and high-tech precision guided weapons and other fields, and thus has a "21 gold" in the world.

Since 2007, China began production under the mandatory plan of rare earth and rare earth began to reduce exports. This year, the Ministry of Commerce issued the export quota of rare earth products plummeted more than 40% in 2009. It is reported that China's rare earth export quotas next year will continue to shrink. Measures to limit exports of Chinese Rare Earth, caused the United States and Europe and Japan, the strong reaction of the Western world. Last year in June, the U.S. and EU restrictions on Chinese exports of strategic commodities such as rare-earth appeal the WTO. Recently, a high-profile Japan to pressure China to join the ranks.

Japan's Ministry of Economy announced in mid-August, since China announced in July this year to reduce exports of rare earth, a number of rare earth elements of the market price has risen 20%. Japanese media also agreed that China's rare earth limit sell orders, and will lead to higher prices for many related businesses in Japan, "nervous." In the last week in Beijing, China-Japan high-level dialogue on the economy, Japan is persistent in a number of occasions referred to the Chinese Rare Earth and asked for China to relax restrictions on exports of rare earth, rare earth, said a sudden reduction of the export is "Global Production chain. "

Intense pressure for the Japanese, the Chinese government to be a rational and powerful response. Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming in Japan stressed during high-level economic dialogue, on the rare earth export De restrictions for both to boost economic growth, but also the environment and national security Baohu comprehensive conditions the Kaolv. China is not only to limit the export of rare earth, but on the exploration, production, trade restrictions on the entire chain, this approach is in line with WTO rules.

Reporter noted that the Chinese government the issue of the Japanese side on the pressure in the earth's response, and China's recent practice of the rare-earth strategy, China's Internet users almost unanimously applauded. Some Internet users a message, said: "This is long overdue, and restrictions on the export of rare earth ... ... to the country's lifeline ah!" There are user said: "support for restrictions on exports, not always what we sell, what is a synonym for cheap goods!"

Japan ideally cheap Chinese Rare Earth

Analysts say Japan's restrictions on Chinese exports of rare earth so sensitive, it is not difficult to understand, because the Earth Nearly nine in Japan imported from China, is the biggest beneficiary of cheap earth.

China Rare Earth Industry pointed out that Japan is the world's use of rare earth to achieve the highest value-added country of rare earth high-tech sectors accounted for its more than 90% of total consumption. By cheap imports from China rare earth raw materials, processed and then sell high-tech products, Japan can earn huge economic interests. Been processed because the price is often comparable to rare earth gold and diamonds.

As we all know, China is the world's rare earth resources in the most rich countries, reserves of about one-third of the world, but the current production has accounted for 95% of the world. 90's of last century, China started large-scale mining and export of rare earth, in the low mining cost (without considering environmental costs), China's cheap RE dominate the world market in most countries, so to stop the exploitation of rare earth.

With rare metals Pr, Nd, for example, China Southern Rare Earth production costs about 30 U.S. dollars per kilogram, while the previous sealed U.S. Mountain Deng Pasi mine production costs as high as 40 dollars per kg. When product prices for every kilogram from 35 to 40 U.S. dollars, the United States no need to self-exploitation of resources of the earth.

Although China accounts for 95% of the earth around the world market, but failed to scale the Chinese Rare Earth Enterprises, lack of uniform regulation, competition and the smuggling of disorder prevailed, resulting in China, "the first major country of rare earth" status can not be transformed into the corresponding rare earth pricing. Between 1990 and 2005, although the Chinese Rare Earth exports increased by nearly 10 times the average price has dropped to half of 1990. No wonder users generally lamented that China is selling rare earth "earth" or "cabbage" prices.

Cheap in China without restrictions to the occasion of the sale of Rare Earth, Japan, took the opportunity to buy and store a large number of rare earth. Inner Mongolia, an industry estimate, the Japanese Earth Resources has even saved enough for four or five years. In response, Chinese media pointed out that 30 years later, the world's largest rare earth origin - Bayan Obo, Inner Mongolia may be taken barren;, been relying on imports from China Rare Earth development of electronic industry of Japan, to Shique enough of sitting on rare earth resources. China to spend the time may be several hundred times higher than the current price, imported from the earth!

Developed countries to create the illusion of

U.S. and EU restrictions on Chinese Rare Earth exports in the complaint policy, one reason is that it would make many industries are affected, thus threatening its economy and "national security." For example, Mitsui & Company RE Yoichi Sato, head of the United Kingdom recently told "The Times" interview, said the tightening of the Chinese Rare Earth exports, Japan faced the industry a "invisible tsunami."

But in fact, the West is a completely untenable. First, according to U.S. energy policy analyst ????? July 28 report to Congress last year, China's rare earth reserves account for 36% of the world, production accounted for 97% of the world; the United States, Russia, Australia, the world's rare earth reserves account for 13%, 19% and 3.6%, but its output is zero. It seems not without rare earth resources in other countries, but is "frozen" work.

Second, even if limited in recent years the Chinese Rare Earth exports, but the world market is still over-supply of rare earth. According to authoritative industry reports, last year produced 129,400 tons of rare earth, the global consumption of rare earth is only about 90,000 tons; expected annual output of 13 million tons by 2010, over-supply situation is still difficult to change. Seen in this light, Japan, China restricted the export of rare earth concerns, mainly worried about China's future after further tightening of the export of rare earth, rare earth in the international market price will correspondingly gone up.

In addition, China on the pretext of environmental protection strategies to protect their own resources, entirely reasonable. In the past 20 years, mining of rare earth resources, crazy, China has paid a high environmental price. A typical example is Xingning City, Guangdong Province Ning Zhong-zhen Tao Zou village was once a beautiful mountain village, but after many years in the mining of rare earth, serious local water pollution and agricultural land was abandoned, the resident population of 700 people by the sharp drop to 100.

The development of high-tech is the key

Rare Earth is a non-renewable resources, and to future high-tech and defense technology. In this sense, the rare-earth strategy is related to China's national security. Analysts pointed out that China can play the advantages of rare earth resources, the key is the development of high-tech industries in China. Otherwise, even if China's rare earth resources are not exported, the country can hardly be fully utilized. This is the Chinese Rare Earth Society, Vice Secretary-General Zhang Anwen said "development effort in the earth outside of Rare Earth," the true meaning of this sentence.

And Japan for more than 90% of rare earth high-tech contrast, China's main application in the traditional fields of rare earth, used in high-tech fields less than 50%; particularly in the areas of new materials, rare earth, China has almost no self- intellectual property rights.

China Rare Earth Industry insiders also said that because China was limited to the export of rare earth materials, therefore, more foreign companies may be to set up factories in the mainland of China, on the rare earth Zi Yuan to conduct simple processing before export, which is in fact disguised quota exceeded the Chinese Rare Earth exports. Thus, the final loss is still a Chinese. Thus, China must use and maintain their own valuable resources, the key is to develop advanced processing technology of rare earth

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