CHINA HALTS SHIPMENTS OF ALL RARE EARTH METALS TO JAPAN
September 23rd, 2010Update: No Ban on Rare Earth Shipments?
Via: China Daily:
A Chinese trade official on Thursday denied a New York Times report that China had banned exports of rare earths to Japan following the detention of a Chinese trawler captain near the Diaoyu Islands.
The report, which was sourced to unnamed industry experts, said an initial trade embargo on all exports of rare earth minerals would last through the end of this month.
“China has not issued any measures intended to restrict rare earth exports to Japan. There is no foundation for that,” said Chen Rongkai, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Commerce.
“I don’t know how the New York Times came up with this, but it’s not true. There are no such measures.”
—End Update—
Via: New York Times:
Sharply raising the stakes in a dispute over Japan’s detention of a Chinese fishing trawler captain, the Chinese government has placed a trade embargo on all exports to Japan of a crucial category of minerals used in products like hybrid cars, wind turbines and guided missiles.
Chinese customs officials are halting all shipments to Japan of so-called rare earth elements, industry officials said on Thursday morning.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao personally called for Japan’s release of the captain, who was detained after his vessel collided with two Japanese coast guard vessels about 40 minutes apart as he tried to fish in waters controlled by Japan but long claimed by China. Mr. Wen threatened unspecified further actions if Japan did not comply.
A Chinese commerce ministry official declined on Thursday to discuss the country’s trade policy on rare earths, saying only that Mr. Wen’s comments remained the Chinese government’s position.
China mines 93 percent of the world’s rare earth minerals, and more than 99 percent of the world’s supply of some of the most prized rare earths, which sell for several hundred dollars a pound.
Related: Japan Developing Alternatives to Rare Earth Metals
Research Credit: eo
this is actually quite interesting, and significant, imo.
not the rare earth metals thing, that’s only of relatively minor significance at this stage.
no, what i think is interesting is the fact that the most senior Chinese government figures are going out of their way to make this into an all-out nasty, relationship-wrecking event, which spreads to many facets of the China-Japan relationship. this tactic is the opposite of what one would reasonably expect from close neighbours who are the regional economic powers and which have a huge amount riding on their relationship—trade, investment, tourism, technology, r&d, scientific, academic and cultural links. japan did some disgusting things in China 1931-1945, many of which they have never really atoned for. but the modern 21st-century relationship is very, very symbiotic.
the rapid escalation of this dispute by the Chinese leadership has a funny smell to it. doesn’t make sense imho, unless you recognize that they are using this to stoke up nationalism generally. this is not uncommon in China, but the pace in this instance is surprising. why do they need to have the population focusing on external “threats” to their sovereignty? well, the internal economic and social pressures, aggravated by extreme levels of environmental degradation must be getting pretty huge to justify this kind of posturing. i reckon the massive economic disparities within China between the haves and the have-nots must also be putting breaking strain on the whole dodgy project.
the situation seems worth a close level of monitoring…
@tochigi:
you make good points as the US has provided a good example, demonizing this or that foreign devil in order to foment nationalism @ home to distract the populace from whatever flavor-of-the-month happens to be pissing on the homeland…funny how people will forget the true source of their miseries when they can be manipulated into blaming that misery on some distant enemy…
You’re both right, “Brazil” is now in China.
But does the average factory worker even care? Can he even watch enough news to get a big picture? I always think of my environment here, where _plenty_ of time is available and nobody cares about anything.
If I were a factory worker, farmer or taxi driver, I am not so sure I would get enough news to even care about other provinces, not to speak of other nations.
What I want to say: While both posters here are right, not the whole populace needs to be directed, just the right part. (the caring part, mostly upper third or the richer middleclass, those who just became mobile enough to decide over their lives, i think this is self-evident).
yes, you make a good point oelsen.
i think the point is to direct the energy of people who may otherwise start looking at the domestic causes of their precarious situation toward “outside threats”. this tactic, as ronjondoe says, has been demonstrated time and again in the US.
so the main audience for this stirring up of nationalism is not the disempowered masses, but the people who have the time, money and education to start thinking a bit more deeply.
in China, there are only very limited opportunities for political expression, so channeling such expression into anti-Japanese nationalism is rather convenient…imo