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I hate that this title makes it sound like rare earths only come from China. Rare earths could be mined from other places if the price were higher.
by georgeecollins 10y ago
I hate that this title makes it sound like rare earths only come from China. Rare earths could be mined from other places if the price were higher.
- xenihn 10y agoI don't really know anything about this topic, but to me, the implication is that China controls access to the market. That means that the earths could be mined in Africa, but they're ending up in China, and that's who you have to buy them from.
- woodandsteel 10y agoNo, the problem is that the ores that have them concentrated enough to mine economically are only found in China, at least for a number of key rare earth elements.
- woodandsteel 10y agoTrue, but it would involve a gigantic investment, and if some company did make it, China would simply flood the market at a low price until the company went broke, then go back to its present monopolist ways. And everyone knows that is what would happen, so no one is foolish enough to invest.