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DukkyDrake t1_ixukj4e wrote

Reply to comment by Plzbanmebrony in The West is slowly rebuilding its rare earths supply chain. by BalticsFox

> They don't have the cheapest source they just sell at the lowest price just to have control.

That makes China the cheapest source.

Good luck to any country that think they can beat their prices without turning their own countryside into an hellscape

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Plzbanmebrony t1_ixulb0n wrote

I misunderstood. I thought you were saying that had easiest access and lowest production cost.

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DukkyDrake t1_ixus2bo wrote

They were simply willing to cut the most corners, the way American industry operated before dumping toxic waste in the nearest stream was frowned upon.

The problem is the global value of rare earth imports was only $1.15 billion back in 2019. It's not a huge market, but it involves a lot of cost on the processing end. It's not just about mining.

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