Common Politics Muddy Waters in Rare Earth Discovery

CNBC reports that rare earth minerals like tantalum are primarily controlled by China–a fact many countries hope to change.

The market news is quoted as saying,

Minerals like dysprosium, tantalum and yttrium are used in the manufacture of cellphones, tablet computers, solar panels and high technology weapons systems. The dominant position of China in the market had raised some concerns that not only would the country’s solar industry and technology manufacturers have an advantage, but Beijing would be able to leverage its position for strategic gain by controlling supplies of raw materials for US military hardware.

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