"The" rare earth elements "are a group of 17 naturally occurring metallic elements used in small amounts in everything from high-powered magnets to batteries and electronic circuits."

“稀土”是一种自然产生的17组金属元素，从大马力磁铁电池到电子电路都会使用。

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Mr Wang described rare earths, a group of 17 elements with high-tech applications, as the current darling of the mining industry.

王炯辉将稀土描述为目前采矿业的宠儿——稀土是指可以应用于高科技的17种元素。

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Now, Beijing controls about 98% of global production of this group of 17 elements.

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Hugh Jenner-Clarke, an 83-year-old Englishman, recently found a major deposit of 950, 000 tons of rare earths, a group of 17 elements prized for distinct properties of conductivity, magnetism and flexibility.

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This week's ruling applies to materials like bauxite, coke, magnesium, manganese and zinc, but, most notably, does not apply to rare earths -- a group of 17 elements critical to the production of tablets, smartphones and myriad other gadgets.

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