The red clay hills of southern China might seem an unlikely spot for a global tug of war. But that is exactly what is playing out there as Beijing cracks down on the mining of rare earths, the 17 elements crucial to the electronics used in everyday life.

　　中國南方的紅粘土山可能看上去不太可能成為全球激烈競爭的的戰(zhàn)場。但這正是擺在人們面前的事實(shí)，因?yàn)橹袊龑?duì)稀土采礦行業(yè)進(jìn)行整治。稀土是17種化學(xué)元素的總稱，對(duì)人們?cè)谌粘Ｉ钪惺褂玫碾娮赢a(chǎn)品至關(guān)重要。

　　In recent weeks, some of the mines gouged out of hillsides in Jiangxi province have been broken up, others mothballed, as China, which controls nearly all the world’s rare earths production, tightens environmental rules governing the industry. The move, which will cut supply, will send shivers through the global rare-earths supply chain.

　　最近幾周，在江西省山坡上開鑿的一些稀土礦被搗毀，另一些則被封存，因?yàn)橹袊站o管理該行業(yè)的環(huán)境規(guī)定。中國控制著全球幾乎全部稀土產(chǎn)量，此舉將削減供應(yīng)，令全球稀土供應(yīng)鏈不寒而栗。

　　Rare earths are crucial to everything from polishing glass to generating electricity from wind or making a BlackBerry vibrate – or guiding a missile.

　　稀土對(duì)于很多產(chǎn)品至關(guān)重要，從玻璃拋光，到風(fēng)力發(fā)電，或制造黑莓(BlackBerry)振動(dòng)器。甚至導(dǎo)彈導(dǎo)航。

　　Last year, China slashed export quotas and briefly suspended shipments to Japan after a diplomatic dispute, prompting protests from Washington and Tokyo and sparking concerns for supply. Japan and other countries responded by seeking alternative sources.

　　去年，與日本發(fā)生外交爭端后，中國大幅削減了稀土的出口配額，并暫停了對(duì)日出口，這引發(fā)了美國和日本的抗議，并令外界對(duì)稀土供應(yīng)感到擔(dān)憂。日本和其它國家的應(yīng)對(duì)舉措是尋找替代來源。

　　While Chinese officials cite environmental concern over how rare earths are produced, some industry executives say protectionism and a desire for a bigger role in the lucrative sector for state-owned miners is also a determining factor behind the clampdown.

　　盡管中國官員給出的理由是對(duì)于稀土生產(chǎn)過程的環(huán)境擔(dān)憂，但一些行業(yè)高管表示，保護(hù)主義以及國有礦商希望在這個(gè)高盈利行業(yè)發(fā)揮更大作用的愿望也是中國政府整治行動(dòng)的一個(gè)決定性因素。

　　Analysts believe the clean-up programme will reduce rare earths output this year and tighten the market, though exact figures are difficult to ascertain because of smuggling.

　　分析人士認(rèn)為，整治行動(dòng)將減少今年的稀土產(chǎn)量并導(dǎo)致市場收緊，不過由于走私活動(dòng)，很難確定準(zhǔn)確的數(shù)據(jù)。

　　“I would expect a shortage developing in the next two to three months,” says Constantine Karayannopoulos, chief executive of rare earths producer Neo Materials.

　　稀土生產(chǎn)商N(yùn)eo Material Technologies首席執(zhí)行官康斯坦丁·卡拉亞諾保洛斯(Constantine Karayannopoulos)表示：“我預(yù)計(jì)，未來兩到三個(gè)月，（稀土供應(yīng)）將出現(xiàn)短缺。”

　　Over the past year, companies have been busy finding ways to use fewer rare earths. New mines in the US and Australia are set to come on line, but not soon enough to avoid a global squeeze.

　　過去一年，企業(yè)一直忙于尋找減少稀土使用的方法。美國和澳大利亞的新礦山即將投產(chǎn)，但其速度不足以避免全球市場緊縮。

　　Parts of southern China, including Jiangxi province, are at the heart of the crackdown. Red clays in the region are rich in “heavy” rare earths, the most valuable and scarce elements. The mining has for decades been a cottage industry as farmers have learnt how to leach the elements out of the clay in their back yards.

　　包括江西省在內(nèi)的華南部分省份處于行業(yè)整治計(jì)劃的震中。該地區(qū)的紅粘土中富含“重”稀土元素，這些化學(xué)元素價(jià)值最高也最稀缺。幾十年來，稀土采礦一直是一種家庭手工業(yè)，因?yàn)檗r(nóng)民已知道如何在自家后院從紅粘土中“浸”出稀土元素。

　　“My brother and I went into rare earths in 1987,” recalls one motorcycle taxi driver in the town of Xinfeng. “It was tough to make any money. We had no technology and prices were so low back then.”

　　“我哥哥和我是在1987年進(jìn)入稀土行業(yè)的，”江西信豐縣一名摩的司機(jī)回憶說，“那時(shí)賺錢很困難。我們沒有技術(shù)，價(jià)格也很低。”

　　As its economy opened in the 1980s, China came to dominate production as it could mine rare earths cheaply – often at great environmental cost. Competing US mines were pushed out of business.

　　隨著上世紀(jì)80年代中國經(jīng)濟(jì)開放，中國開始主宰稀土生產(chǎn)，因?yàn)橹袊軌蛞粤畠r(jià)的成本開采稀土，但這通常是以巨大的環(huán)境成本為代價(jià)的。與中國競爭的美國稀土礦商被迫退出了該行業(yè)。

　　The countryside around Xinfeng is dotted with hundreds of small open-pit mines into which miners pour water and chemicals, producing a sludge rich in rare earths. Technically, the province has only 88 licences for rare earths mines –soon to be whittled down to one mega-licence – but small producers have typically eluded Beijing’s reach.

　　在信豐周邊農(nóng)村，數(shù)百家小型露天稀土礦星羅棋布，礦工們正在往礦石上潑灑水和化學(xué)制劑，從而產(chǎn)生一種富含稀土的油泥。嚴(yán)格意義上來說，江西省只有88張稀土開采許可證——而且很快將被削減至一張“超級(jí)”許可證——但小型生產(chǎn)商通常都能避開中國政府的管控。

　　Farmers in Jiangxi have mastered the art of these small “leach” mines, where high-potency fertiliser is often used to dissolve the rare earth. They have left the land scarred by barren tailings ponds and eroded hilltops.

　　江西的農(nóng)民們已經(jīng)掌握了這些小型“浸”礦的生產(chǎn)工藝，高效化肥通常用來溶解稀土。留下的是布滿疤痕的土地，隨處可見貧瘠的尾礦池和遭到腐蝕的山頂。

　　Beijing has launched campaigns over the years to clean up the mines, but none as serious as that now under way. “It used to be that if you had a relative in government or were well connected, you could still mine [even during crackdowns],” said a miner in Tongmu village. “But today it is yidaoqie – one knife cuts all.”

　　中國政府在過去幾年里發(fā)起了數(shù)次整治礦區(qū)的行動(dòng)，但沒有一次有此次這么嚴(yán)肅認(rèn)真。“過去的情況是，如果你有親戚在政府部門上班或者有很硬的背景，那么（即使在整改期間）你還是能繼續(xù)采礦，”桐木村一位前礦主表示，“但這次是一刀切。”

　　Near where he stands, the charred remains of a small rare earths pit are witness to the clampdown. Officials raided the mine this month and burned its equipment so it could not be put back into use, the miner says. Government notices on local television promise a reward of RMB20,000 ($3,130) for anyone reporting an illegal rare earths mine, as well as pay-outs for turning in unauthorised dealers.

　　離他站的地方不遠(yuǎn)，一個(gè)不大的稀土坑中燒焦的殘余物見證了這場整改行動(dòng)。礦主表示，官員們本月突擊了這家稀土礦，焚毀了設(shè)備，因此這里沒法恢復(fù)生產(chǎn)了。政府在當(dāng)?shù)仉娨暸_(tái)上發(fā)布通告，承諾對(duì)舉報(bào)非法稀土礦者予以人民幣2萬元（合3130美元）的獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)，對(duì)檢舉不法交易者也會(huì)予以金錢獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)。

　　Beijing announced a nationwide rare earths mine inspection campaign this month after a series of steadily tightening rules since the start of the year. Its vision is eventually to consolidate control of China’s rare earths industry under three big state-owned miners – Baogang, Chinalco and Minmetals – but that will prove an uphill battle.

　　中國政府本月宣布對(duì)全國范圍內(nèi)的稀土礦進(jìn)行檢查，自今年初以來，中國發(fā)布了一系列愈發(fā)嚴(yán)格的環(huán)保規(guī)定。政府的構(gòu)想是整合對(duì)中國稀土行業(yè)的控制，最終將控制權(quán)收歸三家大型國有礦商所有，它們是包鋼(Baogang)、中鋁(Chinalco)和五礦(Minmetals)，但這注定將是一場艱苦的戰(zhàn)斗。

　　Jiangxi is considered more strictly regulated than neighbouring provinces, but it is not difficult to find mines still operating. Record high prices for rare earths this year have fuelled smuggling – miners say they can make RMB30,000 from a single tonne of mixed, unprocessed rare earths. Often, the largest mines are owned by the same local government officials in charge of enforcing the shutdowns.

　　江西據(jù)信受到了比相鄰省份更為嚴(yán)格的監(jiān)管，但找到仍在生產(chǎn)的稀土礦并非難事。今年稀土創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄的高價(jià)格刺激了走私行為——礦主表示，賣出1噸含有雜質(zhì)、未加工的稀土，可獲利3萬元人民幣。通常說來，最大的一些礦場的所有者恰恰就是當(dāng)?shù)卣胸?fù)責(zé)執(zhí)行關(guān)停行動(dòng)的官員。

　　Some mines are poised to reopen once Beijing looks the other way. In the forests near the hamlet of Anxi, a new rare-earth mine lies spread out under the evening sky. It was completed just before the crackdown and has never been operated.

　　一旦中國政府開始睜一只眼閉一只眼，某些稀土礦就會(huì)重新開工生產(chǎn)。在安西鎮(zhèn)附近的森林中，一個(gè)新建的稀土礦場在夜空下向四周延伸開來。這家礦場建成于整改行動(dòng)開始之前不久，還未曾開工生產(chǎn)。

　　“You never know when government policies could change,” said a former miner, looking out over the pit. “This time next year, this mine could easily be producing.”

　　“你永遠(yuǎn)不知道政府的政策什么時(shí)候可能轉(zhuǎn)向，”一位前礦主望著礦坑說。“明年這個(gè)時(shí)間，這個(gè)礦場很可能就開工了。”