![]() ![]() Recognizing the long-term vulnerability of an over-reliance on Chinese REEs, then-President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 13817, identifying federal government priorities to increase domestic extraction of minerals, refinement processes, supply chain activity, and evaluating new material sources. However, 14 of the 35 minerals identified to be critical by the Department of Interior are not currently extracted or refined in the continental United States. ![]() corporations are beginning to take steps in association with the federal government to enhance domestic supply lines. Decreasing reliance on China for the supply of these vital resources will enhance strategic stability and ensure enduring self-reliance in the face of increasingly adversarial relations with Beijing. To address growing insecurity of its strategic mineral supply, the United States and her allies must evaluate the current Chinese domination of the critical mineral and REE supply chain and develop alternatives to this potentially dangerous dependence. The United States also imported 98% of its processed REEs from China in 2018.Ĭhina’s dominant REE refining capacity, buoyed by low labor costs and lax environmental regulations, makes it the world’s top destination for REE processing. This placed China as the clear export leader, ahead of the next best U.S. Regarding REE export, the PRC transported 408,000 metric tons of final product materials from 2008-2018, roughly 43.3% of all rare earth exports over that period. Refinement capacities in China are significantly stronger than those in the United States due to an abundance of domestic facilities that process locally sourced and foreign raw critical mineral materials. The PRC also holds a majority share of REE and critical mineral reserves, owning 36.7% of global totals, whereas U.S. In comparison, the United States produced 12.2%. Chinese Strategic Dominance of Rare Earths SectorĬhina is the world’s leading supplier of REEs: In 2019, it produced 62% of raw materials. However, extracting economically mineable concentrations is difficult, thus their relatively low supply. ![]() REEs are, despite the name, commonly found in the Earth’s crust. Though these elements are considered “rare,” there are misconceptions regarding their availability. Department of Interior identified 35 critical minerals crucial for national and economic security, including 17 REEs from atomic numbers 57-71 such as cerium and promethium as well as chemically similar elements scandium and yttrium. Rare earth elements (REEs) and critical minerals are crucial for production in high-tech manufacturing. Today, the PRC holds a similar power to hobble the economic prosperity and military-industrial capabilities of adversaries around the globe. reserves and a devaluation of the dollar, brought devastating impacts: high inflation coupled with economic stagnation (stagflation), and a quadrupling of oil prices. The embargo, which coincided with dwindling U.S. The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) dominance over global critical mineral supply chains presents one of the largest strategic vulnerabilities to the United States and her allies since the Arab oil embargo-triggered energy security crisis of the 1970s. This piece also serves to announce the new Africa program at FPRI and the Summer 2021 Issue of Orbis, which will have a special focus on the role and relevance of Africa to U.S. Its great to see the game launch again! Usual reminder that the game is still in active development, so expect a fair shair of bugs.Editor’s Note: This essay builds on past issues of Orbis and previous entries in Revisiting Orbis on rare earths and technological vulnerabilities. Anyone familiar with this is encouraged to reach out to the devs on the BNR discord server. Website is back up (see links on the subreddit homepage) and game available to play again.Ĭurrent Programming Goal: architecting UI systems. Its great to see it expand to reach over 1000 different members of our community! Today, it still has deep connections educational institutions and helping people get software engineering experience. Mentions this all started as a high school computer project. Only major change is they acknowledge King Game's ownership of the IP and have a "fair use copyright" disclaimer. Now, they reached an agreement allowing the game to go live again. They needed to temporarily take down the game and website during these discussions. The BNR team was contacted by King Games (owners of the BN IP). Big update!!! The game is available to download and play again! For those unaware, here is a quick breakdown of the situation: ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |