[Economoic Warfare begun] China stopping key exports and raises interest rates.

there going to destroy the dollar. that's why the richest people been buying there wealth in gold lately. watched max keiser the other day to and he was on about this as well . he's usually right to! No onder the chinese don't have aircraft carriers they wont need them the way there gonna do it.

they just want more money, if they dont get it they will use force, why?/ people humans are f***ing stupid and just want money, they dont care who gets in the way or dies, to them its not gravity that makes the world turn its money.

Stupid as f**k

I am prepaired for the end of times!!!! I wish it was today.

From the article cited:

China has halted shipments of rare earth minerals bound for the United States and Europe.

I have to wonder if this situation was forseen by "those in-the-know". I'm reminded of an article from the New York Times: US Identifies Vast Mineral Riches in Afghanistan - NY Times

Afghanistan is sitting on top of Trillions of dollars in "Tech Minerals"

Just some speculation on my part but I can't help but wonder if the war in Afghanistan is related to this in some way.

What I understand is that everyone here should be paying attention to Alex Jones of Infowars.com from here fOward though most of you 'here' know this by now.
Not only is he aware, his contributors are as well.
Stay tuned.....

The Chinese government states that they don't intend to stop the export of such rare earth metals. They only want to restrict the production of this minerals; IMHO there is nothing wrong with a small restriction. Would be good for the future generation of this planet if they have at least a small amount of these rare earth materials too. And probably also recycling of computer, solar panel waste etc will be more attractive if the prices for this resources are higher. Also research in alternative materials would be more important.

China on Wednesday denied a report that the government plans to slash export quotas of rare earth metals next year, seeking to ease international jitters about China's stranglehold on supplies....

Beijing denies rare earth quota report (unfortunately the article cannot be read without account)

The mainland pledged to maintain supplies of rare earth and signalled exports of the ingredients used in electronics, wind turbines and smart bombs might rise next year....

China pledges rare earth supplies (the article cannot be read without account)

But on the other hand a article in the NYT stated that the export to Japanese, Europe and the US was restricted in the last month:

[...]
Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday that an unidentified diplomatic source in Beijing had said that rare earth shipments to the United States and Europe were being held up by customs officials for tighter inspections, one of the explanations that customs officials have also given in blocking shipments to Japan for the past month. But John Clancy, the trade spokesman for the European Commission, said in a statement on Wednesday that, “at this time, we cannot confirm claims made by European industry officials in media reports of China blocking rare-earth shipments to the” European Union.
[...]

China Said to Widen Its Embargo of Minerals

reply to post by Rentor


You may wish to take a look at the existing thread (in the Global Financial Meltdown forum) that I started looking into the Chinese REE embargo issue back in September:


China: Trade embargo on Rare Earth minerals/metals - What damage could this do to the West?
Posted on ATS 30-9-2010


There have been some interesting developments and contributions in the last week or so....

I also opened a thread addressing the combined tensions including REEs, Yuan devaluation accusations and military re-positioning here:

Tension between the US and China escalating on several fronts?
Posted on ATS 16-8-2010


NB - Interesting post here about those Clancy novels - hadn't heard of those before.

reply to post by Rentor




China is halting exports of a small part of it's OWN mineral resources to the US... sooo? I really don't see what it has to do with economic warfare.

Moreover, why would China, or any other country, be obliged to trade with USA?

Ever heard of economical PROTECTIONNISM? It was very common worldwide before the '90s... and it had more to do with national sovereignty than with war.

And now, let's talk about that embargo that the US still forces upon Cuba...

reply to post by Fenrin

China pledges rare earth supplies (the article cannot be read without account) But on the other hand a article in the NYT stated that the export to Japanese, Europe and the US was restricted in the last month:

Thing is, some of the Chinese statements I have read appear to suggest that exports may continue, but only in the form of goods already manufactured IN China, i.e. leaving open the possibility that they may intend to support some level of Western manufacture within China, but try to obtain raw REEs outside/from China you'll get a big fat NO.

That would also be a big fat NO to Obama and other Western nations who proposed that one of the ways they would work their way back to economic stability (after their banking sectors blew the global markets) would be to stimulate new 'green' manufacturing industries at home. I wonder whether the western politicians even considered what reactions that might create in China, who, perhaps reasonably, were looking forward to using THEIR REEs to secure THEIR own 'Green' manufacturing and infrastructure base?

China are playing a very careful PR game, which seems to be succeeding in making it very difficult for the West to pin down whether or not this is even happening! In the meantime the impact of any restrictions (IF indeed there are any?) may already be having an effect, or worse still, the West has lost time where it could have been working to find alternatives/deal with the issue, having been slow to pick up on it?

Perhaps China isn't doing anything, or anything different to what they had told leaders who failed to understand the implications in changes to China's policies some months ago...perhaps they are just seeing where this takes the West/USA in the 'Trade/Currency War' with China?

As has been said in my earlier thread on this, warnings were being posted by experts about the Wests over-dependence on one single foreign REE supplier at least as far back as May 2010...(OBE1 may say it was even earlier?).

So why couldn't our great and good leaders, in politics, military strategic planning, business, do any better than leave this to the eleventh hour and create this shambolic, panic reaction - just after opening the economic threats on China for Yuan/currency manipulation?

Oops?

Doesn't China hold like 90% of the world's rare earth market?

If they decrease exports even by a little prices will rise dramatically in a lot of industries.

reply to post by Echtelion


Echelon-it.....appropriate.
Silly humans trying to play as Gods unto one another.
Some gather the power and wealth of kings.
only to find they have created their own prisons.

Some now find it more convenient for folks to 'pass', though not by their own discretion. (and again, one more time)
Simply amazing.....no?
and all at (federal) and state taxpayer expense.
The 'people' pay for the execution of another's playbook.

Brilliant though cruel and unnecessary.
If one is a sheep, I suppose they will be as the sheep.
So be it, I suppose.

All one can do is to try to be a good neighbor.
If folks don't listen, they weren't designed to.
They have chosen their way.....
Hope this helps.
maybe not.

reply to post by die_another_day


Maybe even 97%

Exactly, although there are alternative deposits/sources, (e.g. USA, Afghanistan?, new manufacturing/side products harvested from Titanium oxides...) it is believed that it could take a few years to build up productivity levels to a scale that could replace the supply from China.

Mining them is also an unattractive ecological process, which in the case of the USA, I understand could cause great opposition from environmentalists...China just did it. In the case of Afghanistan, it is unclear how secure a supply that may prove to be for the West too at this point in time...

However, I have also read that China may face dwindling supplies, eventually...

So, looks like the manufactured route may ultimately become a winner...

But in the meantime/short-term, this could create BIG headaches for any Western powers, especially any wishing to take an aggressive stance towards China over major issues such as currency and trade balances.

Which the USA has just done.

The question may become, how would western companies intending to maintain or grow businesses based on products utilising those REEs keep going, or indeed start up, while new supply chains are sorted out?

On China's terms presumably?

The economic war started loooooong time ago. Just read a good history book and you will see there

reply to post by blackcube


The 'economic' war you speak of is Of the playbook of a handful of tyrants.....that be.....youseA?
It's just another tool in the box, a fake one, to keep the folks in line with fear and into alignment with an NWO of serfdom, not surfdom.

When ShakesSpear spoke of those as 'actors' on a stage, he was speaking to you 'folks' you see?
Everything is going 'as planned', on schedule though with unforeseen obstacles steering the way.
Do you understand?
More pOpcorn?
Hungry?

Freewill is to have the freedom of choice.
Use wisely.

reply to post by vkturbo


I think you are right on the money, we(the USA) are the straw on the camels back so to speak when we go the world will follow, one world monetary system would make it much simpler for TPTB to keep track of the money in the world,a one world bank is what this is all about.

Originally posted by tempesillest

Originally posted by Rentor

Originally posted by Exuberant1
The Free Market will fix this.

The ChiComs were keeping the prices of those minerals at artificially low prices resulting in artificially high and unsustainable demand.

Soon Western entrepreneurs will have good reason to start opening their own rare earth mines.

You do know china owns like 98% of the earth's rare minerals and ores right? They own a monopoly on the rare earths. Which is needed to make high-tech equipment and much much more.

no.. they account for 95% of the rare earth metal MARKET, we actually have a lot of it in our backyard but, they are all locked up in wilderness reserves, refugees,parks etc.

Funny how the same people who want us to go green, lock up our own reserves containing the necessary materials for energy efficient products

Well then I guess that just means we'll have to... god forbid... REDUCE CONSUMPTION of resources!

reply to post by Perseus Apex


Same old story on this poor planet which is ruled by Satan the liar thief and murderer
God views the Nations as ravenous beasts and the PLA is a big one
...but unless one understands the only sacred book on the planet , the Bible, and specifically the Book of Genesis and acts on the salvation gift of Christ he is doomed to the ignorance and destruction of this world's Matrix
now that is the REAL conspiracy
Alex Jones for all his tilting at least has named it right-prisonplanet

ie quote from earlier poster

''The only sacred secular document that may help mankind is the noble US Constitution, written during the age of enlightenment to challenged the might of kings and principalities that had dumbed down mankind for centuries and held them in servitude.

The Constitution is noble but when the people have no vision and depart from their God-the nation perishes

If Christ shall make you free- you shall be free indeed

May God help the USA return to the biblical roots of her nation- that is her only hope in my opinion.

Originally posted by Xcathdra
The trade imbalance between the US and China has been a thorn in side of our relations with them. They have pegged the Yuan to the US Dollar (1 to 1), and are accused of manipulating their currency in order to create a trade imbalance in there favor, which makes their items cheaper, and ours more expensive.

They also refuse to allow the Yuan to free float on the market like other currencies, again being able to manipulate value, control inflation, and drive economic creation in their own country. It forces business to relocate business to China because of the more favorable economic situation, cheaper labor, lax oversight from the Government, costs, etc.

China also refuses to completely open their markets to foreign competition (US and Europe) while at the same time ignoring international copyright / patents on key items (Computers, Electronics, etc). By ripping of the patents / copyright, they then turn around and create the items and sell them locally, instead of allowing competition.

When China joined the WTO they agreed to several key points about their currency, copyright / patent infringement, open markets etc. They have slowly complied partially on some, and have ignored others, claiming if they completely free float the Yuan it would cause economic issues within their country. The US has recently, along with some European countries, filed complaints with the WTO regarding several issues with China.

China got upset over this, claiming its a violation of their national sovereignty to have their internal issues dictated to them (I am paraphrasing here, but this is the bare bones of Chinese arguments).

Congress along with President Obama finally had enough, and started drating legislation that would slap tariffs onto Chinese items, and if I remember right (I could be wrong, I need to go back and ind the article) restrict certain items from US markets.

When we put China on notice, they were upset, and essentially told us to quit blaming China for our economic problems.

Sooooo.. here we are now.

Its becoming more and more problematic dealing with them in light of their recent military upgrades, and there continuing insistence on Taiwan belonging to them, as well as claiming pretty much the entire South China Sea as theirs, and now challenging Vietnam Philippines, Russia, Japan and a few other countries over Islands in the area.

They have challenged vessels (US Military vessels as well) operating in the South China Sea in international waters. They are trying to exert control over several of these Islands because of the Economic Exclusion Zone the UN sets, which is 200 miles from your coast, including Islands.


China is positioning itself as the next Super Power, both militarily and economically. 1 of 3 things will happen:

1 - Status quo - They continue modernizing their military and economy, things settle down, business as normal.

2 - They become the next world power in military and economic areas, and after some tense years of squabbling over land, compromises are found, and we all move on.

3 - China moves to far into the capitalist market system, allowing to many citizens that taste of freedom, buying power etc, which causes the government to fall in a coup.

I think 3 is coming, but I wouldn't rule out number 4:

they start a war to keep that coup from happening.

reply to post by NoHierarchy


Who's resources?
Do the 'flokes' have any left?
The Federal govt. must be dissolved asap.
Then restored for 'defense' of the Sovereign Republic only and......with 'elected' officials.

This is the first step.
Governors and State Sherriffs need to finish what they started.
This is the only way to affect 'change' one can believe in.
Everything will 'fall' into place from there forward.

States can more effectively and efficiently manage themselves.
The fed is fraud as was it's very conception.
Enough folks know this by now.
Truth is the trend that ~moves~ as the cosmos.

A good 'Spark' is what the folks need, time to time.
A good 'spark'.
I like the lil s.

As a red rose is red a free man is free.
It's not a good idea to f...with the design.
It Is for a reason.
I'm sure you understand.

reply to post by Yacov


lol