The Conservative Cave

Current Events => General Discussion => Topic started by: cavegal on October 19, 2010, 03:09:56 PM

Title: China Is Said to Halt Exports to U.S. of Some Key Minerals
Post by: cavegal on October 19, 2010, 03:09:56 PM: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/business/global/20rare.html?hp

Quote
HONG KONG â€” China, which has been blocking shipments of crucial minerals to Japan for the last month, has now quietly halted shipments of some of those same materials to the United States and Europe, three industry officials said on Tuesday
Title: Re: China Is Said to Halt Exports to U.S. of Some Key Minerals
Post by: Thor on October 19, 2010, 04:03:51 PM: We're probably China's #1 consumer. Mess with the bull, get the horn......
Title: Re: China Is Said to Halt Exports to U.S. of Some Key Minerals
Post by: thundley4 on October 19, 2010, 05:12:10 PM: I believe those rare earth metals are used in wind turbines and batteries for electric cars.
Title: Re: China Is Said to Halt Exports to U.S. of Some Key Minerals
Post by: LC EFA on October 19, 2010, 05:23:29 PM: Just an attempt to hyper-inflate prices for a brief bit of market looting.

That, or they've decided to sell that stuff as manufactured goods at an even greater markup.
Title: Re: China Is Said to Halt Exports to U.S. of Some Key Minerals
Post by: Attero Dominatus on October 19, 2010, 05:29:14 PM: They are used in magnets, batteries, catalysts, solid state lasers, phosphors (used to convert ultraviolet light from mercury vapor lamps into visible light). Unfortunately for us, China has a monopoly on rare earth metals. http://money.cnn.com/2010/10/05/news/international/china_rare_earths.fortune/index.htm

I wonder if the recent overture by the administration (allowing China to purchase C130s) were a foolish attempt to prevent them from doing this? In any case, appeasement never works.
Title: Re: China Is Said to Halt Exports to U.S. of Some Key Minerals
Post by: IassaFTots on October 19, 2010, 06:38:58 PM: I believe we only have one mine that mines here in the US for rare earth minerals....in California? I thought I read somewhere that due to regulations required to mine, since they contain radioactive materials, that that was the reason we got most of what we needed from China.

So, now what? :whatever:
Title: Re: China Is Said to Halt Exports to U.S. of Some Key Minerals
Post by: Lacarnut on October 19, 2010, 07:04:57 PM: We have a few aces such as threatening them with tariff's and prolonging the importing of their cheap and crappy cars. Or we could default on the 8 trillion debt. Kill two birds with one stone. Eliminate that debt and cease borrowing. The government would have to live within its means.
Title: Re: China Is Said to Halt Exports to U.S. of Some Key Minerals
Post by: IassaFTots on October 19, 2010, 08:15:22 PM: Quote from: Lacarnut on October 19, 2010, 07:04:57 PM
We have a few aces such as threatening them with tariff's and prolonging the importing of their cheap and crappy cars. Or we could default on the 8 trillion debt. Kill two birds with one stone. Eliminate that debt and cease borrowing. The government would have to live within its means.

Now there's a concept...
Title: Re: China Is Said to Halt Exports to U.S. of Some Key Minerals
Post by: thundley4 on October 19, 2010, 08:30:13 PM: Surely our own government hasn't done anything (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/oct/14/china-warned-congress-may-enact-currency-penalty/) that would cause the Chinese to do something like this?