“China stops essential rare earth element shipments to Japan” |
| China stops essential rare earth element shipments to Japan Posted: 25 Sep 2010 08:06 AM PDT
In order to create some of the most popular pieces of tech we use, for example, DVD players, monitors, and rechargeable batteries, manufacturers need rare earth elements. Most, if not all of those supplies currently come from China. As long as relations with China stay friendly there is no issue in manufacturers receiving the elements they need, but a rift with Japan has seen China halt rare earth shipments to the country. The reason for the breakdown in the relationship between the two countries is a dispute over a group of small islands in the East China Sea and the arrest of a Chinese fishing boat captain by Japanese authorities. His arrest was due to a collision between his vessel and two coast guard ships close to the islands. China has given no official reason for the halt, or any timetable for when shipments may start again. Japan has for the moment effectively been cut off from materials it needs to manufacture a number of tech products. The impact for Japanese companies will not be immediate as stockpiles are thought to be enough to last several months. Japan's trade minister Akihiro Ohata is looking into how to resolve the matter. Read more at the Associated Press Matthew's Opinion The number of products rare earth elements are required for is quite wide and varied. Hybrid car components, superconductors, magnets, luminescent materials, optical-fiber communications systems, smartphones, DVD players, monitors, computers, lighting, and weapons are but a few examples. Why this is worrying for Japan is China dominates the market for refining and shipping such elements. India, Brazil, and Malaysia production pales in comparison. My suspicion is this will be resolved quickly though, if the fishing boat captain is released and talks continue over the islands. Such action by China does show that it is a country and government not afraid of using the assets it has to get its own way or to make a point. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Content Keyword RSS To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment