BBC Chinese website reported today (October 28): "US President Trump met with Japan's new Prime Minister Hashimoto Asahi on Tuesday (October 28) in Tokyo and signed a framework agreement aimed at ensuring the supply of critical minerals and rare earths through mining and processing. Hashimoto Asahi also said she hopes to jointly create a 'new golden age' for the Japan-US alliance."
[Witty] Comment: Trump's plan is for the US and Japan to provide funding and technology, while Australia, Canada, and Malaysia provide rare earth mines, to build a "rare earth alliance" centered around the US. However, breaking through the heavy rare earth refining technology alone will take at least five years, and achieving production capacity will require another three to five years. Such a long period means that by the time it is ready, the opportunity will have passed. Japan has been researching rare earth refining since 2010, but still cannot achieve self-sufficiency in heavy rare earth technology. This so-called framework agreement is merely political showmanship, a desperate struggle by the US and Japan facing the rare earth dilemma. Without core technological support, just drawing big pictures, creating a "new golden age" is nothing more than a dream of a madman.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847219883421763/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.