Chinese officials say that concern over the overexploitation and illicit export of rare earths prompted them to regulate the industry more closely. But this regulation, when combined with China’s aggressive pricing, suggests a desire to assert monopoly control, and the de facto ban of rare-earth exports to Japan looks like an effort to test the benefits of this looming monopoly.
面对中国稀土生产商的杀伤性低价策略，美国及世界其他国家的稀土矿纷纷关闭。即便是在中日争端之前，中国已经开始限制稀土出口，并将其定义为一项重要战略资源。中国官员声称对稀土过度开采和非法出口的关注引发了对该行业监管力度的加强。但这种管制与杀伤性低价策略相结合则暴露出了中国垄断稀土的企图，而对日本的实质性稀土禁运则似乎是对这种垄断迷梦的一次利益测试。