So what you're saying is, our government shouldn't take action, but those of other countries should, correct? You have little faith in a government solution, but other governments should seek solutions and take action.
The current reality is that we have international treaties and agreements that are an attempt to bring sanity to worldwide conditions. Chinese organizations can and will take every possible action to keep the rare materials flowing into their part of the world, including widespread poaching of logs and animals, and murderous enforcement of their desires. People are dying over this stuff every day, in other words. The governments of small nations are no match for that by themselves.
I totally agree that it makes little sense at first look to crack down on us, the American knifemakers, as part of controlling what other nations are doing- we're happy to pay a little more to have products from properly managed forests.
The problem is, we seem to have a choice between restrictions that don't make sense (for us) and the complete elimination of entire classes of valuable trees and animals.
Finally, though, the Chinese central government has shown some willingness to work with us- perhaps there's hope.
