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What happens if China decides to block access to those metals? There are signs that this may already taking place as China is no longer willing to sell is rare commodities at rock-bottom prices. Already their government planners have begun to impose restrictions on this type of export. It could include not only some rare earth metals, but also important industrial metals such as:
Lithium and cobalt are used in batteries,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], indium and gallium is used in thin-firm solar modules and tantalum is contained in the microchips used in mobile phones.
Western Nations at China's Mercy
Meanwhile, this year China decided to reduce its exports of rare minerals by about one third compared to the previous year. It is keeping the material for its own use as part of a new natural resources strategy that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is pursuing.
An example of what Western nations are facing,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Speigel Online describes the situation faced by Ulrich Grillo in Germany. His company runs a zinc and sulfur processing company in the western city of Duisburg. He is also the head of the commodities policy committee of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). According to Grillo, German companies are becoming increasingly dependent upon Chinese sources of raw materials and his put them at the mercy of the Chinese.
In examining the rate of consumption of rare metals by Germany's Economics Ministry,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], it was found that the demand for these minerals will be increasing rapidly. For example gallium, which is used in photovoltaics,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], will grow by a factor of six. Companies like Siemens need these special materials to make X-ray machines and power plant generators.
Metals Demand and Short Supply
Read on
International Trade in China
While smelting companies in the West are reluctant to make substantial investments needed to obtain important minerals, which use processes that are labor and energy intensive, China, with a cheap labor force and lax environmental laws, can extract the materials at a cost that Western nations cannot meet.
LithiumCobaltIndiumGalliumTantalum