"India's plan to revive production of rare earths makes sense as a long-term strategic move but the country will only be able to plug a fraction of the gap in the market left by China's falling exports." from South Chima Morning Post

"The United States made a point of securing assurances from China at a summit last month that it would be a "reliable supplier" of the minerals - as US President Barack Obama starts an Asian tour with three days in India.

India wants partners such as the United States and Japan to help build its technological capability to convert the ore into metal, the big challenge in expanding output of rare earths, which are not as hard to find as the name suggests.

"We are looking at partnering with countries which have technological capabilities to help us," one Indian government official said. "You will probably not see much happening if you take a short -term view. This is a long-term game."