日批在线视频_内射毛片内射国产夫妻_亚洲三级小视频_在线观看亚洲大片短视频_女性向h片资源在线观看_亚洲最大网

USEUROPEAFRICAASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
China
Home / China / View

No need to lock horns over rare earths

By Reinhard Butikofer | China Daily | Updated: 2012-03-26 08:07

Rare earth minerals have caused much controversy and friction over the last few years, but the conflict resolution initiative at the World Trade Organization that the European Union, the United States and Japan started against China recently has taken the dispute to a new level.

However, there is ample reason for both sides to take a step back and reconsider the wisdom of confrontation.

I have, of course, no way of knowing how this case against China will turn out in the end. But I believe that commentators arguing that the result in the new case will be pretty much the same as an earlier case that ruled in favor of the EU, the US and Mexico in January 2012, are jumping to conclusions. And even if in two years time we find that they were right and the decision does go against China, this locking of horns might still turn out to be only a pyrrhic victory.

One very simple truth about the rare earths business is this: the West and Japan can only blame themselves for their present rare earths predicament as they took a short-term view to maximize their profits and chose to halt their exploration, mining and refining of rare earth elements in favor of purchasing them from China instead.

In the long-term, a strategy that combines diversification of sources with efficient use, recycling and substitution technologies will enable the West and Japan to overcome their dependency on the supply of rare earth elements from China. It may take a few years but it will happen. But in the meantime, cooperation would produce much better results for both sides.

The West and Japan are in a good position to offer China access to much needed sustainable mining technologies as well as to certification schemes that would help reduce illegal trading in rare earth minerals. After all, minimizing the environmental damage of rare earths mining and reigning in the illegal rare earths business are two of the main concerns of the Chinese government with regard to this sector. Sharing such technologies in exchange for reliable access to rare earths supply over the next 10-15 years would benefit both sides. So why not choose cooperation?

Besides, there are many other raw materials related policy issues that would greatly benefit from cooperation between industrialized countries, emerging economies and resource-rich developing countries.

It is an obvious weakness of the existing global governance structures that they do not provide enough transparency and opportunities to exchange views and perspectives with regards to raw materials. In the energy sector, besides the International Energy Agency, of which China is unfortunately still not a member, we have the International Energy Forum that has just recently met in Kuwait to discuss pertinent topics. Shouldn't we also strive to create a similar international raw materials forum, one focusing on industrial mass metals and high-tech metals? Yet it is hard to see, how there could be successful moves in that direction as long as some of the most important actors are mired in conflict.

Some industrialists I talk to have called such ideas blue-eyed idealism. I disagree. It's a kind of realism that we need for the 21st century. On one hand, there is always an option that increasing conflict over access to raw materials might spin out of control and contribute additional risks to the many security issues the world is facing. On the other hand, there is this great old wisdom from Winston Churchill: "It is better to jaw-jaw than to war-war."

Reinhard Btikofer is vice-chair of the Greens/EFA Group and Rapporteur on Raw Materials in the European Parliament. He sits on the Industry, Technology, Research and Energy Committee as well as the delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China.

Editor's picks
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 男女全黄做爰文章 | 国产精品999久久久 www久久com | 色婷婷色综合 | 国产a级片视频 | 久久久久女教师免费一区 | 欧美日韩国产不卡 | 最近日韩中文字幕 | 青青国产在线 | 国产天堂在线观看 | a级片在线看 | 国产精品久久久久久久久久久久 | www.黄色网址 | 黄色一级一片免费播放 | 久久亚洲国产 | 久久久在线 | 欧美大片免费观看 | 国产精品午夜影院 | 国产情侣网站 | 中文字幕色哟哟 | 国产精品美女在线 | 一区二区三区国产在线 | 国产a级片免费看 | 亚洲精品视频网 | 欧美一级欧美三级在线观看 | 不卡视频一区二区 | 天堂在线观看av | 天堂a在线 | 亚洲精品免费播放 | 日韩久久免费视频 | 国产精品久久成人免费观看 | 最新在线视频 | 午夜av免费 | 国产探花一区 | www.992tv| 日韩国产在线播放 | 999视频在线 | 婷婷色在线观看 | 手机在线精品视频 | 亚洲精品一区在线 | 久久久久久久久久免费 | 97超碰国产在线 |