Why does China produce >80% of the world's tungsten?
Why has there been zero domestic tungsten mining in the United States?
America has a tungsten problem
https://www.noleary.com/blog/posts/1
https://www.noleary.com/blog/posts/1
Why does China produce >80% of the world's tungsten?
Why has there been zero domestic tungsten mining in the United States?
14 Comments
Ladislawgrowlo@lemy.lol · 7 pts · 219d
Australia can export tungsten to the US.
Tungsten is critical for military applications and solar panel production.
Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz · 4 pts · 219d
Australia trades more with China than America. Do you want to sacrifice your economy for America?
Ladislawgrowlo@lemy.lol · 4 pts · 219d
America will surely pay more than China for Australian tungsten to rid itself from the >80% over-reliance.
Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz · 5 pts · 219d
Correct, but then China could stop trading other things in the event of increased hostility with the US, same way the US does. Unless you intend to decouple and become reliant on the US instead, China has more leverage on your economy.
Ladislawgrowlo@lemy.lol · 4 pts · 219d
This is why diversification is key.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 219d
Tungsten is a critical component in any cutting tool.
Ladislawgrowlo@lemy.lol · 1 pts · 219d
Also special armor penetrating ammunition, because of tungsten high density and hardness, as the article mentions. This is why there was a tungsten shortage during WW2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfram_Crisis
wildbus8979@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 219d
The only thing Australia is exporting to the US is all your biometric data.
FrowingFostek@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 219d
Idk too much about rare earth metals but I hear it really fucks up the land.
Ladislawgrowlo@lemy.lol · 0 pts · 219d
Yes, it produces waste and changes the environment. But it is important for the military and national security. So it has to be accepted to a degree.
gustofwind@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 219d
Does it? Turns out you can just buy it from other places
Ladislawgrowlo@lemy.lol · 1 pts · 219d
... the largest producers: China, Vietnam, Russia and North-Korea. Not very dependable salesman.
gustofwind@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 219d
China and Vietnam are plenty dependable and did you know America used to secretly acquire titanium from Russia during the Cold War?
It’s pretty hard to stop globalism
https://theaviationgeekclub.com/in-1960s-russia-sold-titanium-to-the-us-believing-they-needed-it-for-pizza-ovens-but-instead-they-used-it-to-build-the-sr-71-blackbird-mach-3-spy-plane/
melsaskca@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 219d
I noticed in the latest Greenland pic that the citizens were all standing on the tungsten so the americans wouldn't see it when they came to poking around to look for riches. /s