http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/6082464/World-faces-hi-tech-crunch-as-China-eyes-ban-on-rare-metal-exports.html
http://snipurl.com/rfsmc World faces hi-tech crunch as China eyes ban on rare metal exports 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. By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard Published: 5:58PM BST 24 Aug 2009 World faces hi-tech crunch as China eyes ban on rare metal exports; China mines over 95pc of the world's rare earth minerals. 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. <more>
