(Natural News)—China has just expanded its already tight restrictions on the export of technology related to refining rare earth minerals, which includes the production of rare earth magnets used in electric motors and generators as well as in the automotive industry and consumer electronics such as cell phones.
The communist nation, which controls 90 percent of the refined rare earth metal market, completely banned the rare earth extraction and separation technology. According to freelance writer and communications consultant Kurt Cobb, this recent move is part of a broader trade war between the United States and China over the exchange of technology.
President Xi Jinping’s commerce ministry sought public opinion last December on the potential move to add the technology to prepare samarium-cobalt magnets, neodymium-iron-boron magnets and cerium magnets to its “Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited and Restricted from Export.” In the list it also banned technology to make rare-earth calcium oxyborate and production technology for rare earth metals, adding them to a previous ban on the production of rare earth alloy materials.
Beijing is said to produce 60 percent of the ore, which means that the whole world is sending three-quarters of its ore to the country for processing, putting it in a commanding position to decide “who will get these metals and even whether the rest of the world gets any at all,” the analyst said. When China unexpectedly and dramatically reduced its rare earth exports in 2010, prices went skyrocketing. For Cobb, the Chinese would want to monopolize the market and even though America has made efforts to incentivize domestic mining of critical minerals, challenges remain due to the East Asian country’s market dominance. President Joe Biden’s administration allocated a small amount of budget to roll out a modest program to incentivize U.S.-based mining of critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, graphite, cobalt and manganese. However, it seemed to have failed.
“A private attempt to revive a closed rare earth mine, the largest in the United States, resulted in a colossal financial loss for investors when rare earth prices plummeted after China resumed its previous level of exports following the reduction in 2010,” Cobb wrote on his blogsite entry dated Dec. 24. “This shows how China can easily sabotage any attempts to challenge its dominance of the rare earth market.”
He added that the only reasonable way to break the Chinese stranglehold on the rare earth market would be for governments to guarantee the price of rare earth mined by domestic companies as CCP and its rare earth industry have a close-tie relationship. “In a world where the consensus regarding the free exchange of goods is breaking down and geopolitical interests are coming to the fore, China seems to care far less about living up to free trade rules than protecting its perceived national interests,” he said. “If other major trading countries and blocks start moving in the same direction, the easy availability of cheap goods and resources produced in faraway locales may become increasingly problematic.”
First U.K. rare earths hub launched
On the other side of the planet, a rare earth hub set up by the University of Birmingham, HyProMag Ltd and Mkango in Tyseley, central England, has already begun producing recycled rare earth for the magnets, an initiative re-introducing commercial sintered magnet manufacturing back into the U.K. for the first time in over 20 years.
Partners of the firm explained via a press release that Tyseley Energy Park is employing a mechanism dubbed Hydrogen Processing of Magnet Scrap (HPMS), a short-loop recycling method delivering materials that need only a few process steps to produce recycled ‘sintered’ rare earth permanent magnets that are made to recognized industrial grades. The process claimed to offer 88 percent energy saving and 98 percent human toxicity saving when compared to primary production and is considered a “cleaner and more energy efficient process than the traditional dismantling, thermal demagnetization and cleaning processes and lends itself to automated and efficient processing.”
At present, this is reported to be the only local source of recycled rare earth permanent magnets in the United Kingdom and is set to provide further customer and project partner samples. Commercial production is targeted for 2024, with initial throughput targets of 20 tons per year of rare earth magnets and alloys, scaling up to a minimum of 100 tpa in subsequent months. (Related: Demand for “critical” rare-earth minerals soars amid rapid growth of “clean” energy industry.)
Analysts are closely watching if China would also find a way to hinder its operations as well.
Head over to CommunistChina.news for more stories similar to this.
Sources for this article include:
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
YAAAAWWWNNN!
THIS was predicted beginning around 15 years ago — while today the Biden regime and commie corporations are doing everything possible to exhaust the American supply of it: notice all those WI–FI enabled scooters and electric bikes and . . . Oh, Yes! EVs?!?!
AAU Started providing academic services in 1990, Al-Ahliyya Amman University (AAU) was the first private university and pioneer of private education in Jordan. AAU has been granted institutional and programmatic accreditation. It is a member of the International Association of Universities, Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World, Union of Arab Universities and Association of Arab Private Institutions of Higher Education. AAU always seeks distinction by upgrading learning outcomes through the adoption of methods and strategies that depend on a system of quality control and effective follow-up at all its faculties, departments, centers and administrative units. The overall aim is to become a flagship university not only at the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan level but also at the Arab World level. In this vein, AAU has adopted Information Technology as an essential ingredient in its activities, especially e-learning, and it has incorporated it in its educational processes in all fields of specialization to become the first such university to do so.