North Korea could give China rare earth rights in swap for solar power

North Korea has proposed allowing China to mine rare earths in the country in return for building solar power plants there, a Chinese industry group said Thursday.But it is uncertain whether China will accept the proposal by North Korea, which has chronically faced power shortages, given that the U.N. Security Council has imposed economic sanctions aimed at thwarting the nation's nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters on the same day that the country's government "has not heard at all" about such negotiations.On its website, …READ FULL ARTICLE