YOKOHAMA, Japan, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Canada's trade minister said on Wednesday the Chinese approach to supplying rare earth minerals to the world was troubling but added that it presented an opportunity for resource-rich Canada to step up to the plate.
"Everybody is concerned about supply of rare earths," Peter Van Loan told Reuters on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting.
"The approach of the Chinese is troubling because it is not a market approach that they've adopted.
"That being said, for a country like Canada, we do think this represents a long-term opportunity. We're a country rich in resources including rare earths, and I expect and hope that we'll be able to take some steps in the long term and medium term to meet some of those market needs," he said in an interview. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Edmund Klamann)