Even if nothing can be exported, rare earths can also be exported. When it comes to rare earths, you may not be unfamiliar. This precious mineral storage volume was once the world leader. However, our right to speak about rare earths has not been able to reach the hands of the previous years. Some people import our rare earths, but they prevent us from protecting and developing rare earths. In some people's eyes, we can only export rare earths at low prices. For a while, we really sold gold oysters to loess prices.
Rare earth is a treasured resource. The chief designer has long said: ‘There is oil in the Middle East and rare earth in China. 'Rare earth is a heavy metal element. This kind of element can be said to be an cherished anomaly. It is not only impossible to regenerate, it is a little less, and it has a wide range of use. It is essential for industrial, military and manufacturing rare earth elements. For industrial vitamins and versatile soil. Rare earth elements can be added to the materials of military aircraft to increase the strength of aircraft materials. Therefore, in a period of time, many countries have purchased rare earths from us, and the international sales have changed. The sales of rare earths have been very good. However, we do not have much say in the pricing rights and share ownership of rare earths. This is because we lack the technology, the separation technology of rare earths.
Militaryly speaking, many weapons that determine the direction of the war in the war are inseparable from the rare earth. Laser-guided bombs, where the guidance part needs to add rare earth elements, and the rangefinder of the famous M1 main battle tank also needs to add rare earth elements to enhance the strength of the parts. Not to mention that some of the products we use in daily life have the shadow of rare earths. Computer screens, LEDs, and X-ray machines are inseparable from these precious resources. Without rare earths, our lives may turn into another look.
In addition to private excavation and a large number of cheap exports caused by the pursuit of short-term economic benefits, we still lack the technical conditions for how to easily refine rare earth elements. So in a historical period, we can only rely on foreign equipment and technology to separate and extract rare earth elements. This is also an important reason why some people think that we cannot grasp the pricing power and quota rights of rare earths. Technology is the primary productive force. Without core technology, everything is a cloud.
Since 1972, Academician Xu Guangxian has started research on separation and purification technology of rare earths in China. 17 kinds of rare earth elements have similar chemical properties, so the purification technology is very difficult. At that time, the popular "ion exchange method" and "grading crystallization method" existed abroad. The separation cost is high and the rare earth output is low. After scientific research, Academician Xu Guangxian finally developed a rare earth extraction method suitable for China's national conditions. Although the extraction and extraction of rare earths was solved, due to the lack of awareness of the protection of rare earth resources at that time, the market-oriented sale of rare earths led to the sale of a large number of rare earths, further exacerbating the chaos in the rare earth industry. Academician Xu Guangxian once said with distress: "Rare earth resources are very valuable, especially in the five southern provinces. They are very valuable medium and heavy rare earths. The industrial reserves are 1.5 million tons. Now they have already extracted 900,000 tons, leaving only 600,000 tons. Without protection, according to the current mining speed, it will be mined in 10 years! At that time we need to buy from the United States and Japan, they may sell us hundreds of times and thousands of times."
The strategic resources such as rare earths are being sold out in a historical period. This is undoubtedly painful. However, we started the rare earth strategic reserve in 2011, and we also began to crack down on the private mining of rare earths. By integrating the rare earth industry chain, we have firmly held the rare earth resources in our hands. And we finally have a complete grasp of the rare earth screening and extraction technology. We finally mastered the extraction technology of rare earths, and through the rectification of governance, we also obtained the quota rights and pricing power of some rare earths.
Therefore, some people still try to let us supply cheap rare earth resources. It is simply a delusion. We are also actively looking for rare earth resources abroad, and the acquisition of the US Mountain Pass mine in 2017 is undoubtedly a good beginning. Rare earths are not dilute, and rare earths lack the application technology of rare earths. Therefore, it is the responsibility of everyone to defend the rare earth. The rare earth resources can no longer be sold again. Energy security is also an important lifeline of national security.