Export restrictions on critical raw materials

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Due to prevailing scarcity and unequal distribution, the maintenance of stable raw material supply becomes more and more difficult. In consequence, leading developed nations are more dependent on imports of raw materials than ever. China, which currently accounts for almost 97 per cent of the global rare earth elements supply, clearly exploits its strong standing in the raw material market in order to increase profits and its political leverage. Anyway, other resource rich nations – such as South Africa – do not follow the Chinese example and maintain free trade in raw materials. Do only economic factors and purely rational motives cause this discrepancy?