战略金属是现代社会不可缺少的重要物资。战略金属资源既贫乏、需求量又大的工业国把它视为生命攸关之物;战略金属资源丰富的第三世界国家则把它作为获得外汇的重要来源。拉美国家40％的外汇来自这类矿物的出口;非洲国家则达58％;玻利维亚、牙买加、马来西亚、毛里塔尼亚、赞比亚和扎伊尔的比例更大。由于战略金属在政 Strategic metal is an important and indispensable material in modern society. Industrial countries that are both strategic and resource-poor are seen as life-threatening by industrialized countries, and third-world countries with rich strategic metals resources see it as an important source of foreign exchange. Forty per cent of foreign exchange from Latin American countries came from exports of such minerals; 58% from African countries; and Bolivia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mauritania, Zambia and Zaire accounted for even more. Due to strategic metals in power