【英语国际】日本为何在乎稀土？

At the height of a diplomatic standoff between Japan and China that dragged relations to their lowest point in years, reports (which China disputed) said that China had banned exports of rare-earth minerals to its Asian neighbor.

For those of you who are a little perplexed, Japan Real Time explains why such a fuss is being made over these obscure elements.

What are rare-earth minerals?
Although not household names, materials with names such as lanthanum, cerium and ytterbium can be found hard-disk drives, cellphones, electric-car batteries and other products. They also have military uses, such as in missile-guidance systems, so it's no wonder they're also referred to as 'strategic metals.'

The global market for rare earths has grown at an annual rate of about 8% to 11% over the last decade, according to the World Trade Organization, and was valued at approximately $1.25 billion in 2008.

Are they 'rare'?
Not particularly. (They're not 'earths,' either, but that's a different story.)

Global production is estimated at 150,000 tons this year, according to the Industrial Mineral Company of Australia. That compares with current yearly gold production of about 2,500 tons.

They are, however, rarely mined outside of China. The country has more than 95% of the market and boasts 57% of the world's deposits.

They're also rarely found outside China. Over the last few years, the country has restricted its exports as it looks to prioritize supplies for domestic use, and has capped its shipments at roughly 30,300 tons for this year, a 40% drop from the previous year.

Why are they so important to Japan?
Faced with a sluggish domestic economy, many Japanese companies are looking to exports of advanced environmental technology for future growth.

Major electronics companies such as Panasonic are moving out of low-margin, competitive industries like televisions and into the development of next-generation batteries for use in electric cars.

Last year, Reuters reported that each Toyota hybrid car battery uses 10 to 15 kilograms of lanthanum, a number that looks likely to double under plans to increase the car's fuel efficiency.

Can't Japan just buy them elsewhere?
If only it were that simple. Chinese producers cut prices of rare-earth minerals in the 1990s, causing many mines in other parts of the world to stop production. Although mining companies in the U.S., Canada and Australia are scrambling to reopen some of those mines as global supplies tighten, they are unlikely to become widely available for a few years. Even when they do, China will still be the dominant player.

Aren't other countries worried about China's dominance in the market?
Yes, they are. The U.S. government is considering taking China to the World Trade Organization for its rare-earth export restrictions, and the U.S. Congress has ordered the country's Government Accountability Office to look into the U.S military's dependence on the minerals in much of its technology.

We're going to be hearing more about this in the future, aren't we?
China has cornered the market for rare-earth minerals and is clearly not afraid to use that position as a diplomatic bargaining chip. That means further friction is likely.

As Deng Xiaoping - a former Chinese president who set the country on the path to economic reform - presciently said back in 1992: 'The Middle East has oil, China has rare earth.'

Reuters工人们在中国江西省的一处稀土矿工作

在中国和日本之间出现令两国关系跌至数年来低谷的最严重外交僵局之际，有报导说（中国对此予以了否认）中国已禁止对日本出口稀土矿物。

要是你有些弄不明白，本栏目将给你说说为什么这些鲜为人知的元素掀起了如此的轩然大波。

什么是稀土矿物？

尽管不是家喻户晓，但例如镧、铈、镱这些材料却可以在硬盘驱动器、手机、电动车电池及其他产品中找到。它们还有军事上的用途，例如用于导弹制导系统，所以它们也被称作“战略金属”就不足为奇了。

据世界贸易组织(WTO)，过去十年间全球的稀土市场规模以每年大约8%到11%的速度增长，据估计2008年时的规模大概为12.5亿美元。

它们“稀有”吗？

不是非常稀有。（它们也不是“土”，不过这就是另一码事了。）

据澳大利亚工业矿产公司(Industrial Mineral Company of Australia)，今年全球稀土产量估计为150,000吨。来看一个对比，目前一年的黄金产量大约为2,500吨。

然而，它们在中国之外很少获得开采。中国在稀土市场上占据着超过95%的比例，它拥有全球储量的57%。

而且在中国之外也很少看到它们的身影。中国在过去几年间限制了稀土出口，因为它要首先满足国内供应。它将今年的发货量上限定在30,300吨左右，较上年减少了40%。

它们为何对于日本如此重要？

面对疲软的国内经济，许多日本企业出于对今后增长前景的考虑纷纷将目光投向了出口更先进、且环保的技术上。

大型电子产品公司，如松下(Panasonic)正退出利润率较低、行业竞争较强的行业，譬如电视领域，转而研发用于电动车的下一代电池技术。

路透社(Reuters)去年报导说，每一块丰田(Toyota)混合动力车的电池用到了10至15千克的镧，而按照这种汽车的能效提高计划，这一数字可能会增加一倍。

难道日本就不能从别处购买它们吗？

要是事情真有这么简单就好了。中国的生产商在上世纪九十年代时降低了稀土矿产的价格，这使得世界其他地方的许多矿井都停止了生产。虽然随着全球供应的吃紧，美国、加拿大和澳大利亚的矿产企业正急于让其中的一些矿井恢复生产，但它们可能无法在今后数年内投入广泛使用。即便可以，中国仍将是市场的主导。

其他国家对中国的市场主导地位不感到担心吗？

是的，他们的确担心。美国政府正考虑将中国限制稀土出口一事诉诸WTO，美国国会已下令美国政府问责局(Government Accountability Office)调查美国军方在大部分科技领域对这种矿产的依存度。

将来我们还会听到更多与这相关的东西，是吗？

中国垄断了稀土矿产市场，而且它显然不惧将这种地位用作外交谈判中的筹码。这意味着进一步的摩擦不是不可能。

正如中国改革开放的总设计师邓小平1992年所说的那番具有先见之明的话：中东有石油，中国有稀土。