China should immediately ban exports of rare earths

Rare is related to world peace and national security strategic metals. If you continue the existing production business model, perhaps 20-50 years , China will become a rare small country

Why is the "Patriot " missiles can be more easily shot down "Scud" ? Why, despite the US-made M1 and Soviet-made T-72 tanks , guns direct distance gap is not large , but the former was always an earlier fire , but play more accurate ? Why the F-22 fighter can cruise at supersonic speed ? ......

The "why" outlines the tremendous progress in today's military technology , and also sketched out the nearly 20 years the world 's turmoil and conflict. For every " why", has its specific and clear answer. However, from the perspective of materials science , "rare earth " can one solve all these problems .

Development and application of rare earth in recent decades for military technology to provide a powerful engine thrust . Gulf War military incredible miracle that the U.S. military during the Cold War after local war demonstrated ability to control the process of asymmetry , from a certain sense , it is rare accomplishment it all.

For this reason, the development and utilization of rare earth also gave birth to the great danger . On the one hand , more and more countries , the military forces in order to gain control of the asymmetry of the opponent , but to participate and compete for research and development of rare earth , gave birth to the risk of an arms race ; the other hand, the ability to obtain such countries are more inclined to the threat or war settlement of disputes. In this regard, China as the world's largest rare earth reserves in the country , it is necessary for this kind of arms race from the source to cool down , and strictly limit rare earth mining , and immediately banned exports of rare earths .

In fact, the Chinese government on the development of rare earth is nothing less attention. Back in the 1950s , Premier Zhou Enlai put the development of rare earth inclusion of China's first technology development plan . 1975 , China has set up a leading group of rare earth , even if the State agency how many adjustments, but the rare earth industry specialized management agencies has been preserved. 1991 , was included in the national protection of rare earth minerals . Protected from the rare-earth policy perspective, the specialized agencies and stable industrial policy , the state of a consistent overall control , even if the Chinese oil nor such treatment. However, the rare earth industry, the results of decades of development , basically selling resources remained at a low level of standards.

For the rare earth production status , the Ministry conducted since 1999 cleanup work numerous times for issues including indiscriminate indiscriminate digging , excess capacity , disorder , measures taken include total control, blow up illegal mines, confiscation production equipment, judicial intervention , permits, and grass-roots government signed liability form , signed a contract with mine ...... 2005 , the Commerce Department began to use tax control exports of rare earths . These measures the intensity of the strong, long duration , almost reached the limits of the power of administration .

However, chaos remains. It has been concluded China Rare Earth has seven mystery : 1. To industrial policy -oriented macro-control has always been difficult to work ; 2 . Adjust the industrial structure and control of the total production policy is defeated again ; 3 . Sustainable development can not be mined implementation ; 4 for the principle of a unified plan difficult to implement measures to strengthen management ; 5 through technological innovation to promote industrial upgrading desire always just aspirations ; 6 . rely on industry self-regulation to achieve the restructuring measures can not start ; 7 . strengthen promotion and application to improve value-added products to reach the target date .

It was in this chaos among the Chinese Rare Earth mineable reserves of the world from a decade ago to 80% , down to today's 52%. If you continue the existing production business model, perhaps 20-50 years , China will become a rare small country . If one day, China recognizes the value of rare earths , and want the world to buy, then wait for the Chinese will be astronomical .

Rare to make weapons and more cold-blooded

Rare is related to world peace and national security strategic metals. Why is the "Patriot " missiles can be more easily destroyed "Scud " missiles ? Thanks to former precise guidance system for the excellent work . The guidance system using about 4 kg of samarium cobalt magnets and neodymium magnets for electron beam focusing , samarium , neodymium rare earth element .

Why M1 tank can be done before the enemy found ? Because the tanks are equipped neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser rangefinder , on a clear day you can reach nearly 4,000 meters and observation distance, and T-72 laser rangefinder function even good to see 2000 meters . And at night , adding rare earth elements lanthanum night vision has become a nightmare for the Iraqi army .

As for the F-22 supersonic cruise function, thanks to its powerful engine and a light and strong body , thanks to extensive use of rare earth technology they are creating specialty materials . For example F119 engine blades and combustion chambers using resistant titanium alloy , this alloy is said to be used for manufacturing rhenium ; while the F-22 's fuselage is certainly a rare earth magnesium alloy reinforced armed . Otherwise , supersonic cruise , F119 powerful enough to destroy its own power .

All these are only glimpsed . In fact, every high-tech weapon called almost no one there is no earth figure ; more deadly , rare earth tend to focus on making these weapons miraculous of the most critical parts . For example, " Patriot" in addition to guidance systems, missile control surfaces and other key parts is using rare earth alloy ; some advanced tank armor with rare earth materials , the ballistic performance better ; there are those who control the battlefield situation in the United States "telescope " , " ears "using the power of rare earth science and technology has created a traveling wave tube , which makes it more reliable, stronger anti-interference ......

Simply put, compared to conventional weapons, the advantages of high-tech weapons in its more convenient, more sensitive , more accurate and easier to manipulate . The lift is easy , but it epitomizes today's materials science, engineering and manufacturing of Electronic Science and the many highest achievement . These achievements obtained , often stems from some of the special features of rare earth discovery and application .

Rare are industrial " vitamin " said , because of its excellent optical and electromagnetic physical characteristics, can be composed of different properties with other materials , a wide variety of new material, its most notable feature is the substantial increase in the quality of other products and performance. Such as greatly improved for the manufacture of tanks, planes , missiles, steel , aluminum [ colored Opportunity: aluminum alloy ] , magnesium alloys, titanium tactical performance. Moreover , the rare earth is also electronic , laser, nuclear industry, superconductivity , and many other high-tech lubricants. RE technology once used for military , will inevitably bring about a leap in military technology . In a certain sense, the U.S. military after the Cold War times overwhelming local control, and be able to openly wanton killing enemies , is due to the rare earth technology sector takes the cake .

For others to do the wedding dress of the Chinese Rare Earth

"The Middle East has oil , China has rare earths. "This is Deng Xiaoping's southern tour in 1992, famously said . However, in developed countries, has the rare earths as a strategic resource , and to take action when the rare earth in China is seen as more just ordinary commodities for foreign exchange .

China Rare Earth occupies several world first : reserves of the world 's total reserves of the first, especially in the military field has great significance and relative shortage of heavy rare earth ; production scale first , in 2005 China 's 96 of the world's rare earth production % ; export volume in the world, 60% of Chinese production for export, exports accounted for more than 63% of international trade , and China is the world's only large supply of different grades and different varieties of rare earth products in the country. It can be said that China is the open door to the world supply regardless of the cost . According to the National Development and Reform Commission 's report , China 's rare earth smelting separation annual production capacity of 200,000 tons , more than double the world's annual demand . And China 's generous , creating a number of countries greed.

Started by manufacturing and electronics industries in Japan , South Korea 's own shortage of resources, the dependence on the rare earth is self-evident . China exports nearly 70% have gone to these two countries . As the world's second U.S. rare earth reserves , very early on, sealed the largest rare earth mine in Mountain Pass mine , molybdenum production has stopped , instead of a year from a large number of imports. Reserves as not many Western European countries , the more cherish their rare earth resources, but also important users of rare earth .

Greed manifested in the developed countries , in addition to production needs, they are not only through government funding over the purchase , storage warehouses in their respective countries - such practices at South Korea and other countries for years ; addition to the purchase , but also By investing in China and other ways to circumvent the law , participate in the development of rare earth , the line open for plunder .

Unfortunately, the Chinese government has no effective control measure. Many experts called for a strategic reserve system , has seen movement . Moreover, since the earth did not really recognize the strategic value , resulting in China 's rare earth resources development into a fully-fledged waste - production disorder , excessive competition , China has monopoly control of rare earth resources , while is completely not have pricing power, long-term rare earth prices remain low , sometimes even worse than pork .

Swarmed blind development and poor macro planning level , leading Chinese rare earth development did not become big country , China Rare Earth Technology is far behind developed countries. Given the military technology of rare earth in enhancing significant role, if any of this trend , China's exports of rare earth will one day constitute China's national security and a serious threat to world peace , China will provide a short-sighted and irresponsible production and development of pay price.

Currently, the major buyers of Chinese Rare Earth Japan, South Korea , the United States , and the former has territorial disputes with China , and the latter on the Taiwan question constitutes a real threat to China 's largest , and is a major player in recent local wars world . In fact, some already in China against the East China Sea, Yellow Sea staged. However, in these confrontations occurred, few people think of those who can really threaten China 's warplanes , warships and missiles, radar surveillance in China is probably a key component of China 's rare earth exports created by reckless . United States, Japan is rare scientific and technological power . Japan, for example , the Japanese in the relevant application of rare earth materials science , radar, even on the microelectronics industry has more than U.S. technology manufacturing capabilities. U.S. active-duty weapons , submarines, high-strength steel, 80% of the missile microelectronic chips made ​​in Japan , the aircraft engine research and development ...... special ceramics also Japan Japanese scientists had boasted that , if not Japanese chip , the U.S. cruise missile accuracy not 10 meters, but 50 m . However, we can imagine that these micro- chip , high- strength steel if the lack of rare earth, which might not be produced .

Must be banned exports of rare earths

Since the last few decades , government leaders is nothing less concerned authorities is nothing less conscientious , experts and scholars have made ​​a number of suggestions, but China 's rare earth development remains still at a low level , then the long run , the most effective and the easiest way to implement , than immediate ban on exports of rare earths , only maintain domestic production and research and development required output size , or simply buy from the international market .

This has three advantages : First , to maximize the protection of non-renewable resources of rare earth , rare earth fundamentally eliminate local development as well as theft of the disorder , because these years , a huge loss of rare earth , precisely because some governments and individuals are international markets petty temptations ; secondly, to solve industry consolidation , out of production efficiency is not high , serious waste of resources development of small businesses , eliminate excess capacity ; Third, China rare Earth Technology fight for technology development, upgrading of the time , but it must be recognized that to catch up with international standards in the short term , passive protection alone is not enough .

Japan International Research Institute on behalf of future scientific Kazuyuki Hamada said: " China has the world's rare earth resources, 88% ( sic , should be mined ) , barium , antimony and indium reserves are also very rich, grabbed the Japan-US throat , Japan and the United States do not have these rare , it can not manufacture precision -guided weapons . " China probably should not go to pinch someone else's throat , but must plan ahead, do not let others grabbed his throat in the future . Association Central Liaison Committee , the Division Yanshuang Li , chairman of Union Carbide Co., Ltd. has not Worry carefully pointed out that " our country's reserves of rare metals are not many . "


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