Material Empire

Jiangnan, Xinshan County, Yunjiang Province.

Jiang Songling, the deputy county magistrate in charge of mining, is in a good mood today. The report just submitted to the county by the Foreign Trade Bureau shows that in the first half of the year, the county’s rare earth exports increased by 17% compared with the same period last year, reaching more than 400 tons, and foreign exchange earnings reached nearly 6 million US dollars. . If there is no accident, the export of rare earths in Xinshan County will take the top spot in the whole province this year, and Jiang Songling will once again sit on the rostrum of the provincial government auditorium, wearing red and hanging colors, accepting the leadership of the province praise.

Speaking of rare earths, it is really miraculous, that is, some inconspicuous soil on the hills and slopes, after refining, they turned into treasures. Jiang Songling has not read many books, and he doesn't know anything about elements. He just heard from experts from the province that the rare earth mines in Xinshan County are called ion-adsorbed rare earth mines, and the world is only in southern China. can be found in a few places.

It is said that what is rare is the most expensive. This rare earth mine, which cannot be found anywhere else in the world, has naturally won the favor of many foreign manufacturers. Since the rare earth mines in Xinshan County began to be excavated, the personnel of several Japanese rare earth companies have almost always been here, waiting to buy mines with a lot of yen. If you say that they are Japanese, they are too dedicated. Even Jiang Songling has never visited the 20 or so townships in Xinshan County, but the Japanese have conducted a comprehensive survey of each place, and the pictures they drew are for Jiang Songling to see. I just feel dizzy.

The Japanese not only drew a map of the distribution of rare earth mines, but also taught mining and refining techniques to small mine owners in various townships and villages free of charge. With the help of the Japanese, the production of rare earths in Xinshan County has risen rapidly, and many villages have quickly become rich because of rare earths.

In the past two years, due to the increasing production of rare earths in the country, even the prices in the international market have been affected. Dysprosium oxide, a product produced in Xinshan County, used to be sold for more than 20 US dollars per kilogram, but at the end of the previous year, it dropped to only 5 US dollars in one breath. During that time, Jiang Songling was so anxious that he even wanted to hang himself.

Fortunately, the state has also noticed this matter, established a national and provincial rare earth office from top to bottom, and also implemented a rare earth monopoly policy. minimum export price. After a period of limited production and guaranteed prices, the price of rare earths has gradually risen, and the export income of Xinshan County has also continued to hit new highs.

Regarding the rare earth monopoly, Jiang Songling's attitude is two-sided. On the one hand, he is very supportive of this policy, because it can keep the price of rare earths rising steadily, which is conducive to the export of Johor Bahru County. On the other hand, he is very opposed to this policy, because the three major foreign trade companies have limited the output of each rare earth producing area, and the quota in Xinshan County is far lower than the formed production capacity. It's such a terrible feeling to see money being made but not being made.

However, there are policies above and countermeasures below. Of course, the mine owners in Xinshan County will not be suffocated by the quotas of foreign trade companies. They have enough ways to circumvent such quotas and sell the over-mined rare earths abroad. The Provincial Rare Earth Office is also well aware of this matter, and they are naturally happy to turn a blind eye to the fact that they can earn foreign exchange for the province. Who would compare this kind of truth?

Relying on his achievements in rare earth exports, Jiang Songling's status in the county government has been increasing day by day. In charge of the mining industry used to be a cold bench, but now it has become very hot. Not only can the county have more say in meetings, but even the Japanese who are elusive in the county come to him from time to time. Missy Missy, let's get in touch.

Peppers are dried on glazed tiles, wire tofu is hung, and a fox crawls over the waist of the chicken...

Jiang Songling, who was in a good mood, was sitting at the desk, looking at the documents, while humming the libretto of an unknown local opera. When he sang proudly, he tapped the table with his fingers to beat himself.

Major Jiang, someone is looking for you. Secretary Wu Lian walked into the office cautiously and reported to Jiang Songling.

Who is it? Jiang Songling asked lazily, still tapping on the table.

It's Director Deng of the Provincial Rare Earth Office. Wu Lian said. Xinshan County has a lot of business contacts with the Provincial Rare Earth Office, so Wu Lian knows all the people in the Rare Earth Office.

Oh, Director Deng is here, please hurry up. Jiang Songling raised his eyebrows and said happily. Director Deng mentioned by Wu Lian was Deng Shiheng, deputy director of the Rare Earth Office. This gentleman and Jiang Songling had a good personal relationship, and the two had drank together no less than 10 times.

After a while, Deng Shiheng led two people to Jiang Songling's office under Wu Lian's guidance. Jiang Songling had already left his seat and was standing in front of the door waiting to be greeted. Seeing Deng Shiheng, Jiang Songling stretched out his hands from a distance, smiling all over his face, and shouted: Oh, Director Deng is here, why don't you say hello in advance, so I can go downstairs to pick you up?

Haha, I'm afraid I'll delay your work, County Magistrate Jiang. Deng Shiheng also walked forward with a smile, shook hands with Jiang Songling, and teased affectionately: Old Jiang, your hair is getting less and less Yes, while strengthening mineral development, we must also pay attention to vegetation protection.

I can't grow any grass in this mine. Jiang Songling replied with a smile, touching his forehead that had become bald due to early baldness.

Old Jiang, let me introduce you. Deng Shiheng let go of Jiang Songling's hand, and at the same time restrained his flirtatious expression, pointed to a young man behind him and said to Jiang Songling: This is the deputy leader of the National Rare Earth Development and Utilization Leading Group. Comrade Chang Qinhai, he made a special trip to our Yunjiang Province to inspect the development and protection of rare earths.

The country... Jiang Songling was taken aback. The Provincial Rare Earth Office is an institution with a reputation in the province. When you come to Xinshan County, you can already be regarded as a superior leader. This young man named Qin Hai is actually carrying the banner of the country's leading group. Isn't this the leadership? Leader, how many levels higher than yourself?

Leader Qin, I'm disrespectful, disrespectful. Jiang Songling hurriedly shook hands with Qin Hai, bending his body into an arc, acting like a lower-level official, I am the deputy county magistrate in charge of mineral development in Xinshan County, you call me Xiao Jiang will be fine.

Xiao Jiang...

Qin Hai grinned, really speechless. Jiang Songling is already a member of Ben Wu, Qin Hai called him an uncle, so how could he be called Xiao Jiang. However, Qin Hai was already used to this kind of situation. When he carried the banner of the higher-level department to inspect the lower-level units, the officials of the lower-level units, regardless of age, all regarded themselves as juniors. Adults are not necessarily old, and villains are not necessarily young. The concept of size in officialdom has nothing in common with physics.

Major Jiang, you can call me Xiao Qin, if you can't, just call me Group Leader Qin. Qin Hai said with a smile while holding Jiang Songling's hand. In fact, he prefers to be called Xiao Qin by others, but he also knows that Jiang Songling dare not call him that if he lends his courage, so he can only let the other party call him Team Leader Qin. It is also interesting to say that when he was in the 33rd school, he was called the team leader, but when he arrived in Xinshan County, he still regarded himself as the team leader.

The National Rare Earth Development and Utilization Leading Group is a temporary organization. Compared with the State Rare Earth Office, the former focuses on strategic management, while the latter focuses more on affairs management. The leader of the leading group is concurrently held by the chief director of the State Planning Commission, and is of a very high rank. There are several deputy team leaders, but the one who actually does the work is Qin Hai who has just been appointed. Qin Hai was able to enter this institution thanks to the recommendation of Ji Mingchu.

Rare earths are not a big industry in China. Last year, China's national rare earth production was 18,000 tons, and the industry's total output value was 1.3 billion yuan. The rare earth export volume is 8,000 tons, and the foreign exchange income is 100 million US dollars. No matter from which aspect, rare earths cannot be compared with other mining sectors. Only governments at the level of Johor Bahru County will regard rare earths as their lifeblood.

However, national leaders' expectations for rare earths are much more than that. More than one central leader once said: The Middle East has oil, and China has rare earths. This is our advantage. In the minds of these leaders, rare earths should become as important a commodity as oil, giving China its own trump card in the global economic competition.

China's rare earth operations can be described as disorganized. Those provinces that have rare earth resources, in order to export and earn foreign exchange, compete to mine and lower prices of each other to an outrageous level. As rare earth companies cannibalize each other, the price of rare earths in China keeps falling.

Someone has calculated that in the first half of last year, Japan imported rare earth chloride from the United States at $8.4 per kilogram, while it imported only $1.3 from China; Japan imported yttrium oxide from the United States at $129.5 per kilogram, and imported it from France and the Soviet Union. About 49 US dollars, only 13.7 US dollars imported from China.

The brutal price war has caused China's rare earth resources to flow to the international market at the price of cabbage. At the same time, it has also produced an ironic result, that is, all rare earth enterprises in the world have fallen into loss and bankruptcy. The famous American rare earth company Molybdenum Company has been listed for sale because its production cost is inferior to that of China. After careful research, several companies in the United States and Japan finally gave up their plan to acquire Molybdenum Company, because they firmly believe that no matter who It is impossible to revive the molybdenum company, because the price of rare earths in China is too low.

Facing the chaos in domestic rare earth production, the state successively established the Rare Earth Office and the Rare Earth Leading Group to try to control rare earths. According to what Qin Hai learned, these two departments have very limited control over the local area, which has led to the chaotic situation in rare earth production that has continued to this day.

Rare earth is the key element of many new materials. If Qin Hai wants to build his own material empire, he has to control rare earth in his hands. It is precisely because of this idea that he volunteered and obtained the authorization to manage the national rare earth industry.