China Considering Cuts In Rare-Earth Metal Exports

SillySnake sends in a report from the Telegraph on draft plans in China to restrict exports of rare earths. "Beijing is drawing up plans to prohibit or restrict exports of rare earth metals that are produced only in China and play a vital role in cutting edge technology, from hybrid cars and catalytic converters, to superconductors, and precision-guided weapons. A draft report by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has called for a total ban on foreign shipments of terbium, dysprosium, yttrium, thulium, and lutetium. Other metals such as neodymium, europium, cerium, and lanthanum will be restricted to a combined export quota of 35,000 tonnes a year, far below global needs."

Comments

Update

[Dingadong]

Terrorists found in Beijing and Shanghai, U.S. Troops invade.

Re:Update

[4D6963]

China is the new economy. Western Europe is just on a downhill spiral.

No. We are Willie Wonka. China is the Oompa Loompas.

Re:Update

[LordAndrewSama]

what if China decided one day to the next that 300 million (about a quarter of their country) decided to go for a walk and moved to the US via Alaska

300 Million people will have to take their shoes off for border control, then get sodomized or whatever the procedure for finding terrorists is?

Re:Update

[Sponge Bath]

...trail of 300,000,000 corpses

The grizzly bears, wolves, and cougars would be well fed.
Always look on the bright side of life!

Re:Update

[CrimsonAvenger]

The grizzly bears, wolves, and cougars would be well fed.
Always look on the bright side of life!

How do you think the one survivor made it?

Re:Update

[macshit]

Terrorists found in Beijing and Shanghai, U.S. Troops invade.

Immediately get stuck in traffic. Nobody notices.

That's ok

[Joebert]

That's ok, we still have plenty of Uranium...

Space Exploration Curtailed

[Benson Arizona]

Let's hope that they don't stop dilithium shipments!

Re:My super-villian theory

[Aladrin]

The giant magnet. Pull asteroids into Earth's orbit to rain firey hell on your enemies..

Leveling

[JoelMartinez]

But how will I level my blacksmithing if they stop posting mats to the auction house? guess I'll have to take up mining :-/

Re:Not a Great Analogy

[hany]

Or alternatively we buy our hard drives from Chinese manufacturers, which I think is what they want to happen..

... and "mine" those Chinese hard-drives for this rare materials to manufacture our own hard drives. :)

Re:Woo-hoo -

[Sulphur]

Someone is making magnates.

Re:Woo-hoo -

[pohl]

...and rare earth magnates at that, since most of us on this planet are not.

Re:The new "oil"

[xerxesVII]

Muslims?

Re:Not a Great Analogy

[Joebert]

[citation needed]

Everybody lies.

Re:Woo-hoo -

[Profane MuthaFucka]

Maybe we could re-arm the Soviet Union while we're at it.

Or, maybe we could all just admit that you said a dumb thing.