China Ends Rare Earth Minerals Embargo

China has resumed its shipment of rare earth minerals to the United States, after cutting us off early last week, the New York Times reports. Shipments to Japan, which have been suspended since September due to disputes involving the arrest of Chinese fishermen, also resumed, though they are facing some delays. The decision came hours after an announcement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that she would travel to China tomorrow to discuss the matter.

She called the suspension a “wake-up call,” saying the US and Japan need to find alternate supplies of these materials. China, which produces 95% of the world's rare earth minerals, has repeatedly downgraded its export levels of these materials over the last five years; what it currently ships is well below world demand. Read the full article. (More rare earth minerals stories.)