Japan has secured a tentative agreement with Australia to buy rare earths, key minerals used in the manufacturing of electronic products from car batteries to military equipment, in a strategic move to cut its dependence on China, the world’s dominant producer.

日本与澳大利亚签署了一份购买稀土的初步协议，这一战略举措旨在减轻日本对全球主要稀土生产国中国的依赖。从汽车电池到军事装备，稀土是用于制造多种电子产品的关键矿产。

Sojitz, a Japanese trading company and the country’s largest importer of rare earths, said on Wednesday it had entered a “strategic alliance” with Lynas, an Australian-listed group that owns one of the world’s richest rare earth deposits. The groups were “investigating a long-term supply agreement”, Sojitz said.

日本最大贸易公司及该国最大稀土进口商双日株式会社(Sojitz)周三表示，已与澳大利亚上市集团Lynas结成“战略联盟”。Lynas拥有全球最丰富的稀土矿藏之一。双日表示，两家集团“正在研究一项长期供应协议”。

The announcement came a day after Kevin Rudd, Australia’s foreign minister, told his Japanese counterpart, Seiji Maehara, in Canberra that Australia would be a long-term supplier of rare earths to countries such as Japan.

这一消息宣布前一天，澳大利亚外长陆克文(Kevin Rudd)在堪培拉对日本外务大臣前原诚司(Seiji Maehara)表示，澳大利亚将长期向日本等国家供应稀土。

Lynas shares jumped 10.5 per cent to A$1.53, while shares in Sojitz rose 9 per cent to Y168.

Lynas股价大涨10.5%，至1.53澳元，而双日股价涨9%，至168日元。

Under the agreement, Sojitz said it would seek funding from the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, a state-affiliated investment body, to help pay for a $250m expansion of Lynas’ Mount Weld rare earth mine in western Australia. Sojitz said it was seeking 9,000 tonnes of rare earths a year from Lynas during the next 10 years.

根据初步协议，双日表示将寻求从有政府背景的投资机构——日本石油天然气金属矿产资源机构(JOGMEC)获得资金，以协助Lynas在西澳威尔德山区(Mount Weld)稀土矿的2.5亿美元扩建项目。双日表示，正寻求在今后10年里每年向Lynas购买9000吨稀土。

China accounted for 97 per cent of the world’s rare earth production last year. Concerns about its dominant market position escalated in September when Japanese traders reported their shipments were halted during an unrelated diplomatic dispute with China.

中国去年占全球稀土产量的97%。外界对中国在稀土市场上的主导地位的担忧在今年9月升级，当时日本贸易商报告称，在日本与中国发生一起无关的外交纠纷期间，他们购买的稀土被停止发运。

Japanese vehicle and electronics makers are the world’s biggest consumers of rare earths, and several groups are looking to support more rare earth mining outside China.

日本的汽车和电子制造商是全球最大的稀土消费者，目前有几家集团正计划支持中国以外的更多稀土开采。

Toyota Tsusho, the trading affiliate of Toyota Motor, is examining deposits in India, Vietnam and Canada. Sumitomo, the trading house, has teamed up with Kazatoprom of Kazakhstan to develop finds in central Asia, and Mitsubishi, another trader, is evaluating deposits in a former tin mine in Brazil alongside Canadian company Neo Materials.

附属于丰田汽车(Toyota Motor)的贸易公司丰田通商(Toyota Tsusho)正在考察印度、越南和加拿大的矿藏。贸易公司住友商事(Sumitomo)已联手哈萨克斯坦国营原子能公司(Kazatomprom)开发中亚发现的矿藏。另一家贸易商三菱(Mitsubishi)正与加拿大公司Neo Materials一起评估巴西一座旧锡矿的矿藏。

The race to secure supplies has been intensified by Chinese attempts to add foreign rare earth assets to its already large domestic supplies.

中国试图在本国供应已经相当大的基础上增加海外稀土资产，加剧了获得供应的竞赛。

Reaction in China to the Lynas-Sojitz announcement was muted. Yin Jianhua, rare earth specialist at the Beijing-based consultancy Antaike, said the statement seemed to have a “whiff of propaganda” about it.

中国对Lynas与双日结盟的声明反应低调。北京咨询公司安泰科(Antaike)的稀土专家尹建华（音）称，这份声明似乎有一丝宣传的味道。