Text Fwd: Pentagon: U.S., Allies To End China's Rare Earths Dominance 미 국방부: 미국과 그 동맹국들, 중국의 희귀 흙 지배 막기로 결심

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Defense News
November 9, 2010
DoD Sees U.S., Allies Ending China's Rare Earths Dominance
By JOHN T. BENNETT

NEW YORK: The U.S. must only survive a few more years of Beijing's dominance over rare earths minerals supply and pricing, then American and key allies should be able to turn the tables, said Brett Lambert, U.S. Defense Department industrial affairs chief.
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The markets should prompt Western nations to develop alternative to Beijing's rare earths dominance, he said.

Sources say a soon-to-be-released Pentagon study will feature a similar bottom-line conclusion.

China now controls nearly 100 percent of the global supply and production of this family of elements, which is used to make crucial components in a list of American weapon systems, including jet engine turbines, unmanned planes, electric motors, radars, night-vision goggles, missiles, electronics and other items.

The United States imports 100 percent of the rare earths it needs, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

China's control, experts say, allows Beijing to dictate rare earths prices and global availability. This was spotlighted in recent weeks when China threatened to withhold rare earths from Japan during an unrelated flap.

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