It is reported that Vietnam wants to retain titanium for domestic production and has added titanium ore to a list of raw materials it wants to retain for domestic production.

In a statement issued at the weekend, Mr Hoang Trung Hai deputy prime minister of Vietnam asked the industry & trade ministry to amend a circular so that titanium ore can be exported until the end of 2008 and from 2009 the mined product will serve domestic production.

A senior official at the Titanium Industry Council of China Nonferrous Metal Industry Association said that "It will have a big impact on the industry, since imported titanium ore counts for about one third of the consumption in China." He added that 90% of titanium in China is used for pigment production and 10% for titanium metal, used for high-strength, lightweight metal alloys.

Mr Nguyen Tan Dung Prime Minister of Vietnam said that of would invest VND 2 trillion until 2015 in exploration, tapping and building three mills for titanium sponge, purified ilmenite ore and white pigment.