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[ZNPaaneah]

Originally Posted by awareness

Or China could crimp our access to their rare earth metals, needed in everything from cell phones, defense, satellites, and most technology. That's another nuclear option at China's disposal.

China doesn't have a monopoly on rare earth metals. At best they have the best price. The result of a trade war would be the development of other suppliers. The risk to China is manifold:

1. Do they ramp down production and shutter some mining operations?
2. Does a competitor get an inside shot at selling to the US and perhaps taking future business away as well.

The worst case for us is that we have to pay extra for our Lithium or some other metal. Instead of $100 for a battery, maybe it will now be $105. We'll survive.

[awareness]

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

China doesn't have a monopoly on rare earth metals. At best they have the best price. The result of a trade war would be the development of other suppliers. The risk to China is manifold:

1. Do they ramp down production and shutter some mining operations?
2. Does a competitor get an inside shot at selling to the US and perhaps taking future business away as well.

The worst case for us is that we have to pay extra for our Lithium or some other metal. Instead of $100 for a battery, maybe it will now be $105. We'll survive.

From The Hill :
China's secret trade war option: A rare earth embargo
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...rgo/ar-AAvnYmE

[ZNPaaneah]

Originally Posted by awareness

From The Hill :
China's secret trade war option: A rare earth embargo
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...rgo/ar-AAvnYmE

https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mineral-resources/ree.html

[ZNPaaneah]

I think a lot of people are missing the key point in this whole Pruitt "scandal". Trump, who does know about the market value of real estate, says that the market for upscale condo in the best DC neighborhoods is $50 a day! That is great news! This puts these very nice condos into my price range, I need to think about possible vacation to DC.

[awareness]

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mineral-resources/ree.html

So rare earth metals is a misnomer?

[ZNPaaneah]

Originally Posted by awareness

So rare earth metals is a misnomer?

Gold is a "rare earth metal", doesn't mean there is only one country on Earth where it is found. It could be that there is one country that has a very well developed mining operation (S. Africa). Same with oil. There is a remarkable amount of oil found in the Middle East (many theories on why that is, no answers) but oil can be found everywhere in the world.

Why would the US military allow themselves to be dependent on China? The only possible valid reason is that it is economic, but we can find the same materials elsewhere at a higher price.

The problem with what Trump is doing is that he needs the European union to join the US if we are to prevail. If I know this then certainly many in the State department know this as well. There is more than one way to skin a cat, and perhaps by announcing these tariffs unilaterally it provides cover for smaller and more vulnerable countries to join us without becoming a target of Chinese ire.

I have yet to hear one person argue that China is a good actor and is undeserving of being blamed for unfair trade practices. No one is disputing the fundamental issue, the only real debate is over how to accomplish this. Since no one up to this point has been successful I would completely tune out the Democrats (16 years of Clinton and Obama with nada). I give the Republicans a pass since both Bush's were involved in wars that needed coalitions and didn't need to start a trade war at the same time.

I think prior to that the primary goal of foreign policy was to encourage China to trade with the rest of the world and enter the WTO

[awareness]

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

Gold is a "rare earth metal", doesn't mean there is only one country on Earth where it is found. It could be that there is one country that has a very well developed mining operation (S. Africa). Same with oil. There is a remarkable amount of oil found in the Middle East (many theories on why that is, no answers) but oil can be found everywhere in the world.

Why would the US military allow themselves to be dependent on China? The only possible valid reason is that it is economic, but we can find the same materials elsewhere at a higher price.

The problem with what Trump is doing is that he needs the European union to join the US if we are to prevail. If I know this then certainly many in the State department know this as well. There is more than one way to skin a cat, and perhaps by announcing these tariffs unilaterally it provides cover for smaller and more vulnerable countries to join us without becoming a target of Chinese ire.

I have yet to hear one person argue that China is a good actor and is undeserving of being blamed for unfair trade practices. No one is disputing the fundamental issue, the only real debate is over how to accomplish this. Since no one up to this point has been successful I would completely tune out the Democrats (16 years of Clinton and Obama with nada). I give the Republicans a pass since both Bush's were involved in wars that needed coalitions and didn't need to start a trade war at the same time.

I think prior to that the primary goal of foreign policy was to encourage China to trade with the rest of the world and enter the WTO

Right now the tariffs are just talk and bluster. Both Trump and Jinping are like Puffer fish, trying to look bigger than they actually are.

Say what you like about the demmies, as in Clinton and Obama, but China is a sovereign country. And it's big, and owns 1.2 Trillion in U.S. Treasury Bonds. Didn't we borrow from China to fund Bush's wars?

Obviously being soft, like the demmies, didn't work. China just grew stronger and stronger.

Right now it's all bluffing, with Trump even going so far as to admit it will hurt us. But the pain, Spanky says, will make us stronger.

Maybe you're more informed. I read that, mining rare earth metals is cost prohibitive, and not profitable to energy companies. But state run mining can undercut the market. Which is why China is presently our primacy source for rare earth metals. So maybe rare earth metals can be found everywhere, but getting them is the problem. China, being state run can get them.

But like I said. It's all bluster right now. Talk, BIG TALK, and talk. Maybe being tough will work. That's where Spanky might excel. He's good at bullying.

We'll see. Anything to keep the loose impulsive cannon away from the button.

MAGA, is really all about MTGA. Let's see if he is. Time will tell.

[awareness]

'I'm A Holocaust Survivor—Trump's America Feels Like Germany Before Nazis Took Over'
www.newsweek.com/im-holocaust-survivor-trumps-america-feels-germany-nazis-took-over-876965