From resource advantage to economic superiority : development and implications of China's rare earth policy

  • Rare Earth Elements (REE) have become the new strategic economic weapon for the modern age. Used in the manufacturing of products ranging from mobile phones to jet fighter engines, REEs have become the new “oil” of today in terms of economic and strategic importance. Currently, 95% of REEs mined globally are mined in China, giving China a monopoly on the industry. Deng Xiaoping foresaw the importance of REEs in 1992 when he commented: “as there is oil in the Middle East, there is rare earth in China.” Recently, China temporarily stopped exports of REEs to Japan, the EU and the US as an unofficial response to varying political and economic issues. This stoppage raised concerns as to the dependability of China and REE exports. Using the theory of neo-mercantilism, this paper analyzes China’s actions in the REE market and its subsequent economic and political implications. It concludes with a look at how countries are trying to position themselves away from a dependency on China.

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Metadaten
Author:Daniela Lackner, Susan McEwen-Fial
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-272468
ISSN:1869-6872
ISSN:2190-7080
Parent Title (English):Frankfurt working papers on East Asia ; No. 6
Series (Serial Number):Frankfurt working papers on East Asia (6)
Publisher:Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Ostasienstudien (IZO)
Place of publication:Frankfurt, M.
Document Type:Working Paper
Language:English
Year of Completion:2011
Year of first Publication:2011
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2012/10/19
GND Keyword:China; Seltenerdmetall; Strategischer Rohstoff; Bilaterales Monopol; Monopol; Wirtschaftsmacht; Geopolitik; Weltpolitik
Page Number:32
HeBIS-PPN:290575869
Institutes:Wissenschaftliche Zentren und koordinierte Programme / Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Ostasienstudien (IZO)
Dewey Decimal Classification:3 Sozialwissenschaften / 33 Wirtschaft / 330 Wirtschaft
Sammlungen:Universitätspublikationen
Licence (German):License LogoDeutsches Urheberrecht