Title:
China-Japan Dispute Shines Light on Rare Earth
Metals
Description: This is
a VOA Special English Economics Report.
See text below
Text:
Few people had ever heard of the natural elements
known as rare earth metals before a recent dispute
between China and Japan. Yet these metals are used
in devices like smartphones, flat screen
televisions, hybrid car batteries, MP3 players and
military equipment.In September, Japan detained a
Chinese ship captain near disputed islands in the
East China Sea. China denied that it stopped exports
of rare earth metals to Japan to force his release.
But the incident raised concerns. Japan is the
world's biggest importer of rare earth metals. And
China produces ninety-seven percent of the world
supply. China says it sold almost four billion
dollars' worth in two thousand eight. But marketing
professor George Haley at the University of New
Haven in Connecticut says China has always kept
prices low.He says: "So unlike other minerals the
price of rare earth elements has actually
fallen."Some countries with rare earth metals no
longer mine them -- including the United States. One
reason is the low-cost imports from China. Another
reason is concern about environmental damage. So
what are these rare earth metals? Well, most of them
are not rare; that is just their name. Several are
more common than copper, lead or silver. People who
remember the periodic table of the elements from
chemistry class might recognize them. Rare earths
include the fifteen lanthanide metals along with
yttrium and scandium. Samuel Bader, a physicist at
the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, says
rare earths are often found together.But Mr. Bader
explains that the same properties that make them
hard to refine also make them valuable. He says:
"Rare earth metals provide the world's strongest
commercial magnets. This is why they're important.
It's that simple."Rare earth magnets are lightweight
and unaffected by conditions like high temperatures.
So they work well in places like electric motors in
hybrid vehicles or generators for wind turbines.
Physicists use super-powerful magnets to speed
particles and control radiation like X-rays. George
Haley says they are found in electronics, fiber
optics and other products. They are important not
just for the economic success of the United States,
but for defense and job creation at home.Next week,
we'll talk more about rare earth metals, and an
American company that plans to start mining them
again. For VOA Special English I'm Alex Villarreal.
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Hi. I
personally reviewed this video and found it appropriate for
the news section of English Global Group. This
is a Voice of America video which covers an interesting
topic in Special English. I would appreciate some feedback from both
students and teachers about this video. You can comment in
the window below using any of a number of different services
including Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, and Hotmail.
