Jiang Yueyin: Containing rare earth yttrium to sell the combination of boxing can not be shaken

In order to reverse the "pricing power", the Chinese government rectifies the rare earth industry. The establishment of a ministerial-level rare metal coordination mechanism is changing the pattern of China's rare earth industry. However, China's rectification to reverse pricing power is not without cost: before 2000, domestic rare earths Excessive use of indiscriminate excavation, especially due to the fact that the southern rare earth is very fragmented and the mining technology is relatively simple, farmers themselves can mine at home, resulting in a large waste of rare earth resources, mining more than sales, China has occupied more than 90% of the international market share of rare earths, However, over the years there has been no escape from the “rare earth selling cabbage price” situation; at the same time, many countries will buy rare earth after the cheap processing into high-end products, and then sell back to China at high prices, and some high-end products even made it clear that they do not sell to China.

The author believes that although this year, the international community began to blow up the "monster style" that the United States and Europe exert pressure on China's rare earth export quotas, but this kind of "monster style" is the environmental problem caused by some countries exporting rare earths to China because of their own interests. "Selective blindness", China's use of "combination boxing" to protect its own basic rights and interests should not be shaken.

In the early years, a large amount of rare earths were imported from China and reserves and rare earth resources buried in the country were buried underground. This has made it apparent that some Western countries have had an “ulterior motive” on the issue of rare earths. At the 6th China-EU Business Summit held in Brussels in October 2010, Premier Wen Han of the State Council of China specially addressed the issue: “In the 1980s and 1990s, China’s lack of management of rare earths and its lack of The technology of refining rare earths. When China's management was the most turbulent, some countries purchased many rare earths from China at a low price, and there are still many reserves. They know very well.” China’s rare earth reserves account for only 30% of global reserves. Already, 90% of the global supply has been accounted for. The huge gap between the two data shows that China's current rare earth production has been severely "overdrawn".

China's rare earth resources, after experiencing decades of cheap exports, have been at a critical point of dangerous resource security. According to relevant data from the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, China's rare earth reserves fell by 37% from 1996 to 2009, leaving only 27 million tons. If according to current production rates, China’s medium and heavy rare earth reserves can only maintain 15 to 20 In the coming year, China's rare earth consumption may still need to be imported.

The use of illegal means such as smuggling to obtain rare earth resources from China is a common practice in some countries that use Chinese rare earth resources. According to incomplete statistics, in recent years, the number of rare earths smuggled out of China each year is at least 20,000 tons. From the seizure of smuggling cases, the vast majority of the first smuggling destinations are Japan and South Korea. In addition, rare earth ores are easily smuggled out of other ore and smuggled out of the country. The probability of not being detected through professional inspections is extremely low. In some areas of China, the almost insane private resources of rare earths provide sufficient raw materials for such smuggling. Therefore, the amount of rare earths smuggled out of China each year should exceed the 20,000 tons normally estimated.

It can thus be seen that China should further strengthen its efforts to crack down on illegal smuggling of rare earths in order to effectively and effectively safeguard national economic security and strategic resource security, especially for those involved in the investigation of rare earth smuggling cases. They must not be tolerated and soft-handed. They must Do not punish!