Entirely reasonable
Despite the ironic tone of the article it is entirely reasonable for China to overhaul their safety and environental regulations. Rare earths are not in fact scarce and as many posters have already pointed out, the 97% is *market* share. Mining the material can cause acid drainage, and leave great tracts of wasteland if not properly rehabilitated. At present China is just digging it up and sellling it - and countries like Japan and the US are no doubt pleased with the arrangement, because it's cheap and it's not in thier backyard. China's practices if left unchanged will leave a legacy for the next generations to come.
In light of this the tone of the article is deplorable.
Besides which there are alternatives to using rare earths - they cost fractionally more hence they are not used.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
