The plan to promote the recycling of rare metal -related resources to recycle the recycling of rare metal related resources is to reduce dependence on imports, but it is still far away from self -sufficiency.
The Japanese Yomiram newspaper published an article on March 31st that the Trump administration will promote the recovery of related resources to seek to get rid of the dependence on China's rare metals.The article states that after interviewing with relevant US government personnel, it was learned that in order to ensure the production of high -tech products and weapons and equipment, rare metals are not subject to people, and the Trump administration will promote the recycling of related resources, mainly including research and development from wasteThe technology of extracting rare metals in lithium batteries.Undoubtedly, the relevant decision of the Trump administration will make rare earth trade a hot spot in the Sino -US game again.
Rare earth is a collective term for the ingredient elements in the periodic table of the chemical element, which contains 17 kinds of chemical elements.One of the main reasons why rare earths can become a product that provoked the nerves of the great power is that rare earth has great significance for the defense industry.Rare soil can greatly improve the tactical performance of steel, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, and titanium alloy for manufacturing weapons.At the same time, as an important functional material, rare earth permanent magnet materials have been widely used in the fields of national defense and military industry and instrumentation, energy transportation, medical equipment, electronic communication and other military fields such as aviation, aerospace, navigation, and weapons.For example, the Patriot missile guidance system uses about 4 kg of 钐 cobalt magnets and iron boron -boron magnets for electron beam focusing, so that it can make it shine in the field of anti -missile.The rare earth permanent magnet material used by the F-22 fighter engine is also the key to its super mobility capabilities.It is no exaggeration to say that once there is no rare earth, all kinds of advanced weapons will become deaf and blind.
It is not difficult to see that the huge national defense industry in the United States has made it a large consumer of rare earth, but it is a bit invincible in the source of rare earth.The United States has proven that the reserves of rare earth resources are 13 million tons, accounting for about 12%of the world's total rare earth reserves, and it is the world's second largest rare earth resource country.However, the last rare earth mine in the United States stopped mining in 1998. In the same year, the most important rare earth smelting company in the United States was acquired by the Chinese background of the Chinese background.China has re -carried out business.Therefore, the output of rare earth in the United States has always been zero, and 100%relies on imports, while China is its most important source country.Therefore, objectively, the main defense contractors in the United States are subject to China in the source of this key material.
In the past, China was a large exporter of rare earth. For a long time, it has allowed the United States to import a large amount of rare earth at the price of cabbage.However, due to various reasons, the Chinese government began to implement a rare earth product export quota license system in 1998, and included rare earth raw materials in the processing trade prohibited product catalog.Obviously, the United States' dependence on China's rare earth has effectively enhanced China's right to speak in Sino -US relations. In the trade war launched after Trump came to power, rare earths have become a strong weight of China.
Out of the worry of life pulse, public opinion in the United States has long pointed out that the United States should develop its own rare earth industry to prevent the rare earth chain from being cut off (especially in late September 2010, and the Japanese government claims that China has stopped dealing with it.After shipping rare earth),).In December 2017, Trump signed a presidential order for rare metal resources, listed 35 kinds of mineral resources including cobalt as an important mineral, instructing to expand its domestic exploration, mining and recycling.In April 2018, the US Department of Interior announced that it would expand domestic production of 35 key minerals including uranium, cobalt and lithium to reduce dependence on foreign imports.According to the articles of the Yomiuri News, the US Department of Energy allocated a $ 15 million budget in February this year and built a new national recycling research base in Illinois.The goal is to use the technology of extracting rare metals such as cobalt and lithium from lithium batteries such as lithium batteries through cooperation with universities and civil institutions.In addition, a recruitment activity for the effective recycling and storage plan for emerging enterprises on emerging enterprises has also started, and the bidders will receive a bonus with a total of $ 5.5 million.
Obviously, while fisting constantly, Trump also guards the other party to pay back in related fields. Therefore, in the future, China and the United States in rare earth trade will once again become a hot spot in the game between the two countries.However, it should also be seen that even if the United States restarts local rare earth ore production and invests in mining in other countries, it is restricted by factors such as investment, construction period, development of new technologies and purchasing patents in infrastructure.It is still a trump card in China.
(Note: The author is a researcher at the Chahar Society, a special researcher at the far -tank of the think tank, a member of the Chinese Command and Control Society. This article only represents the author's personal point of view.
