China Seeks Steady Rare Earths Exports In 2012

[Tank]

China Seeks Steady Rare Earths Exports In 2012

China, the world's largest rare earths producer, said Tuesday that its export quota for the sought-after commodities will remain roughly the same in 2012 as this year.

China produces more than 95 percent of the world's rare earths -- 17 elements critical to manufacturing everything from iPods to low-emission cars -- and its moves to dictate production and exports have raised an outcry among major trading partners.

"To meet the demand of the international market and maintain the basic stability of rare earth supply, the 2012 export quota will still be basically in balance with 2011," the Ministry of Commerce said.

Touch screens currently rely on rare earths so this give China quite the opportunity to force manufacturing into China.

[Pharaoh Cat]

Touch screens currently rely on rare earths so this give China quite the opportunity to force manufacturing into China.

Someday Mandarin will be the lingua franca.

[Tank]

Touch screens currently rely on rare earths so this give China quite the opportunity to force manufacturing into China.

Someday Mandarin will be the lingua franca.

Except that there are more people in China learning English than the entire population of America. English is the lingua franca of commerce and science. It is also a lot easier for a Chinese speaker to learn English than an English speaker to learn Chinese.

[Pharaoh Cat]

Except that there are more people in China learning English than the entire population of America. English is the lingua franca of commerce and science. It is also a lot easier for a Chinese speaker to learn English than an English speaker to learn Chinese.

Lingua franca:
1300s - Italian
1600s - French
1900s - English
2200s - ?

Two centuries is a long time.  My money's on Mandarin.  I just wish I could hope to still be around so as to find out.

[DeterminedJuliet]

Well, if the show "Firefly" is any indication, Pharaoh Cat is correct

[The Magic Pudding]

There has been interest from China to buy Aus rare earth assets, it has been resisted, no doubt they are trying elsewhere.
http://www.australianrareearths.com/current-issues.html

[Tank]

Exactly how many Chinese characters does one see used regularly in the west? In China some areas now have bilingual road signs, guess which two languages are used?

The ideas of SiFi writers are interesting and challenging and may support one's own view but they are at the end of the day speculation for entertainment.

In practical terms consider why 300 million Chinese are studying English. Also why is English the most studied second language on Earth?

[Pharaoh Cat]

Also why is English the most studied second language on Earth?

Because since the 1900s it's been the lingua franca.  In the 1600s, 1700s, and 1800s, French was the most studied second language on Earth or at least in Europe.  In the 1300s, 1400s, and 1500s, Italian was.

In 1400 if someone had suggested French would be the lingua franca one day, many would have been incredulous.  In 1700 if someone had suggested English would be the lingua franca one day, many would have been incredulous.  Yet both suggestions would have been correct.

Nothing stays the same.  All is impermanent.  Heraclitus and Siddhartha got that at least right.

China looks to be playing a long game with world domination the prize.  English-speaking countries, by contrast, are serving the uncoordinated whims of competitive oligarchs operating mostly behind the scenes.  In any contest, the more organized opponent has the advantage.  China is the most organized player on the world stage today.

[Crow]

Except that there are more people in China learning English than the entire population of America. English is the lingua franca of commerce and science. It is also a lot easier for a Chinese speaker to learn English than an English speaker to learn Chinese.

I predict it will be a natural evolution of the chinese/english pidgin hybrid as societies become closer. i.e "Tumoro mai no kan kum" - "Tomorrow I can't come" (half inched from wikipedia).

[Ecurb Noselrub]

You're all wrong. It's going to be Esperanto. 

Seriously, now that we have constant global communication, all languages are going to affect one another, and we may have some sort of global hybrid like Crow said, with English as a base but lots of Chinese, Spanish and Arabic thrown in.