On Friday 01 December 2006 17:51, OrionWorks wrote: > FYI, > > It's my understanding that the Chinese government has recently increased > the price of raw materials to all magnet manufacturers by 60%. This > presumably includes the rare-earth material, NEODYMIUM. > > As previously mentioned on this discussion group the Chinese government > quietly and methodically went about the business of purchasing all the > mining operations for these kinds of rare-earth elements everywhere on the > planet. They now own the whole shebang - everything. They maintain a total > monopoly on these kinds of rare-earth supplies. > > And whadaya know! Suddenly they've decided to increase prices by 60 > percent. > > I maintain a suspicion that rare earth materials, particularly Neodymium, > are going to start playing an ever increasing vital role in the development > of this planet's AE resources. China stands to make a tidy profit from > their shrewd and complete takeover of this market. > > And the rest of us will be paying, literally, for our lack of foresight. > > Regards, > Steven Vincent Johnson > www.OrionWorks.com
Wars have been fought over that kind of monopolistic activity. The Japanese allegedly hit us at Pearl in the last century after we denied them sale of scrap iron needed by them; and the Germans were forced to use flammable hydrogen for the dirigible 'Hindenburg' with disastrous results simply because we had refused to sell them helium gas whose supply we then controlled. Stsnding Bear
