Tag Archives: China

#China’s #RareEarth Policy: Driving Innovation and Competitiveness

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A colorful assortment of various geometric and crystalline shapes representing critical minerals, displayed against a blurred laboratory background. The image also features the flag of China and text in Chinese and English labeling the minerals.

Policy Framework Supporting Innovation Ecosystem

The Chinese State Council’s “Rare Earth Industry Development Plan (2021-2025)” establishes coordinated targets that explicitly connect mining output with downstream technology milestones. This policy framework differs from market-driven approaches where private investment decisions occur independently of government industrial planning.

Key coordination mechanisms include:

  • Research funding allocation aligned with five-year industrial development priorities
  • State-owned enterprise operations integrated with private sector innovation incentives
  • Regulatory environments designed to support domestic technology development clusters
  • University-industry partnerships with explicit commercialization mandates

Government research institutes, including Chinese Academy of Sciences divisions focused on materials science, receive dedicated funding for rare earth materials research aligned with broader industrial objectives. This creates predictable resource flows for long-term research projects while ensuring alignment between fundamental research and commercial applications.

The integration extends to environmental and regulatory considerations. Chinese facilities operate under different environmental compliance requirements compared to Western competitors, enabling cost structures that support both current operations and reinvestment in technology development. Additionally, these operations increasingly benefit from decarbonization benefits that enhance long-term competitiveness. This regulatory environment, combined with established supply chains and vertical integration advantages, creates compound benefits for innovation funding.

How Does China’s Patent Strategy Create Competitive Moats in Critical Technologies?

Intellectual Property Accumulation in Emerging Materials

China’s patent filing activity in rare earth materials significantly exceeds Western competitors, with China accounting for approximately 40-50% of global rare earth materials patents and higher percentages in emerging technology areas including nanomaterials and energy storage applications, according to World Intellectual Property Organization data from 2023.

Patent applications in rare earth nanomaterials and energy storage categories have grown at approximately 15-20% year-over-year in China between 2018-2023, while Western filing rates in equivalent categories have remained relatively flat or declined. This divergence reflects different strategic approaches to materials innovation and intellectual property development.

Focus areas for Chinese patent activity include:

  • Energy storage nanomaterials with enhanced conductivity and thermal stability
  • Magnetic separation processes optimizing cost structures and efficiency
  • Luminescent compounds for specialized optical and sensor applications
  • Advanced alloy compositions targeting aerospace and electronics sectors

Consequently, organizations must develop comprehensive IP protection strategies to safeguard their technological advantages in this competitive landscape.

Research Institution Networks and Knowledge Transfer

Chinese university-industry collaboration operates under different structural incentives compared to Western academic systems. Chinese institutions receive explicit mandates to commercialize research findings, supported by government incentive structures that reward technology transfer activities. This contrasts with Western university systems where commercialization typically occurs post-publication through licensing offices, creating longer development timelines.

Read more at: https://discoveryalert.com.au/strategic-technology-development-critical-material-sectors-2026/

#US to push for quicker action in reducing reliance on #China for #RareEarths

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A group of business leaders and officials sitting at a conference table during a meeting focused on rare earth and critical metals, with flags of various nations displayed in the background and a presentation screen showing 'G7' and related topics.

WASHINGTON, Jan 11 (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will urge Group of Seven nations and others to step up their efforts to reduce reliance on critical minerals from China when he hosts a dozen top finance officials on Monday, a senior U.S. official said.

The meeting, which kicks off with a dinner on Sunday evening, will include finance ministers or cabinet ministers from the G7 advanced economies, the European Union, Australia, India, South Korea and Mexico, said the official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Together, the grouping accounts for 60% of global demand for critical minerals.

“Urgency is the theme of the day. It’s a very big undertaking. There’s a lot of different angles, a lot of different countries involved and we really just need to move faster,” the official said.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-push-quicker-action-reducing-reliance-china-rare-earths-2026-01-11/

#US: #Oklahoma’s #CriticalMinerals Hub: Driving Strategic Industrial Growth

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Oklahoma’s emergence as a critical minerals hub represents a strategic convergence of geographic advantages, established infrastructure, and national security imperatives. The state’s positioning within North American transportation networks, combined with abundant energy resources and experienced industrial workforce, creates unique opportunities for domestic processing operations that reduce import dependencies while supporting defense manufacturing requirements.

Oklahoma’s emergence as a strategic processing hub demonstrates how transportation networks and energy infrastructure create multiplicative advantages for critical minerals operations. The state’s positioning at the intersection of continental transportation corridors provides unprecedented access to both raw material sources and end-user markets across North America.

Chemical processing expertise from Oklahoma’s refining and petrochemical operations transfers directly to mineral separation and purification systems. Workers experienced in hydrocarbon separation, distillation, and reduction chemistry possess foundational knowledge for solvent extraction, precipitation, and crystallization processes essential to lithium, nickel, and rare earth processing.

Environmental compliance experience accumulated through decades of Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act requirements in energy operations reduces training requirements for mineral processing facilities. The regulatory framework familiarity and OSHA certification systems provide established pathways for workforce transition rather than development from baseline.

Read more at: https://discoveryalert.com.au/oklahoma-critical-minerals-hub-2025-geographic-infrastructure/

#Canada #Nickel nears four billion tonnes in total nickel resources near #Timmins

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Heavy mining equipment operating in a snowy landscape, with Canada Nickel branding and a Canadian flag overlay.

Canada Nickel has amassed almost four billion tonnes in nickel resources in the ground around Timmins.

Just before Christmas, the Toronto multi-mine developer published mineral resources for more two deposits, Midlothian and Bannockburn, both situated south of the city.

Like Canada Nickel’s other properties in the area, including its flagship Crawford project, the Midlothian and Bannockburn projects are shaping up to be low-grade, big-tonnage type of nickel deposits.

To date, Canada Nickel has posted resource estimates on eight of its nine properties in the region.

That amounts to 3.98 billion tonnes of 0.24 per cent nickel in the measured and Indicated resources, for a total of 9.4 million tonnes of nickel metal. There’s an inferred resource of 4.95 billion tonnes of 0.23 per cent nickel, for a total of 11.5 million tonnes of contained nickel metal.

Read more at: https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/industry-news/mining/canada-nickel-nears-four-billion-tonnes-in-total-nickel-resources-near-timmins-11681534

#NYTimes: How #US Defense Industry Dodged a #RareEarth Shortage After #China’s Curbs

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A close-up of a Tomahawk missile with a background suggesting military engagement, featuring the word 'SAMARIUM' at the bottom, along with flags representing the United States and China.

Tomahawk missiles are coveted by militaries around the world because they can hit a target 1,000 miles away. That accuracy is possible because their fins use powerful magnets made of samarium — a rare-earth metal that can tolerate high heat.

When China put restrictions on some rare-earth exports this year, it cut off the supply of samarium to American defense contractors that sell to Raytheon, the maker of Tomahawk missiles. Samarium is processed almost exclusively in China, where more than 85 percent of the world’s rare-earth magnets are made.

A carefully orchestrated deal involving two European companies gave U.S. defense contractors access to a new source of samarium, allowing production to continue for now. But that supply — made from material that had been sitting in a factory in France since the 1970s — is limited. Now the Trump administration is racing to develop a new source before the European stockpile runs out.

China began requiring export licenses for samarium and six other rare-earth metals in April after President Trump rolled out tariffs against China and several other nations. A spokesman at the Chinese Embassy in Washington said in an email that the export controls had been instituted to “defend world peace.” Foreign companies that use samarium for military purposes are no longer allowed to buy it.

“No defense contractor will be able to use the same path to buy samarium metal that we’ve used in the past,” said an executive for one of Raytheon’s suppliers, who asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. “You’re on the naughty list. You’re not getting that material.”

Most rare-earth magnets are made of neodymium, which is used in everyday applications such as cellphones, auto parts and electronics. But the defense industry requires samarium-cobalt magnets, which can withstand extreme heat.

The stakes for finding alternatives are enormous. Unless new sources of samarium or a substitute material can be found, American manufacturers won’t be able to build fighter jets or precision-guided missiles. They may be forced to sacrifice precision if they can’t get the right magnets, said Aisha Haynes, a former Defense Department official responsible for supply chain issues.

Read more at: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/business/defense-industry-rare-earth-restrictions-china.html

#Bloomberg: #US #RareEarth Buyers Still See #China Curbs Despite #Trump Deal

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A metallic ring placed on a rocky surface, with Chinese and American flags blurred in the background, symbolizing the geopolitical tension over rare earth elements.

December 25, 2025 at 3:39 AM ES

China is still restricting the rare earth elements that the US needs to produce its own permanent magnets and other products even after President Donald Trump reached a deal with his Chinese counterpart in October to lift restrictions on the supplies, according to market participants.

More than a dozen consumers, producers, government officials and trade experts said that while China has boosted deliveries of finished products — primarily permanent magnets — the US industry remains unable to acquire the inputs needed to make those items on its own, a key priority for the administration.

Read more at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-24/us-rare-earth-buyers-still-see-china-curbs-despite-trump-deal

#Japan to test mine #RareEarth mud from deep seabed 

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An underwater vehicle equipped with a Japanese flag is surrounded by swirling rare-earth-rich mud, highlighting Japan's deep-sea mining efforts for critical minerals.

TOKYO, Dec 23 (Reuters) – Japan will conduct test mining of rare-earth-rich mud from the deep seabed off Minamitori Island, some 1,900 kilometres (1,180 miles) southeast of Tokyo, from January 11 to February 14, the head of the government-backed project said on Tuesday.

The operation will mark the world’s first attempt to continuously lift rare-earth mud from a depth of around 6,000 meters on to a vessel.

Tokyo, like its Western allies, is seeking to secure stable supplies of critical minerals as China, the dominant supplier of rare earths, tightens export controls.

“One of our missions is to build a supply chain for domestically produced rare earths to ensure stable supply of minerals essential to industry,” Shoichi Ishii, program director of the Cabinet Office’s national platform for innovative ocean developments, told reporters.

The Japanese government is pressing ahead with a national project as part of broader efforts to strengthen maritime and economic security.

The January test will focus on connecting the deep-sea mining system and confirming its ability to lift 350 metric tons of rare-earth mud per day. Environmental impacts will be monitored both onboard and on the seabed throughout the operation.

No production target has been set, but if successful, a full-scale mining trial will be conducted in February 2027.

The government-funded project has spent about 40 billion yen ($256 million) since 2018, Ishii said, though estimated reserves have not been disclosed.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-test-mine-rare-earth-mud-deep-seabed-2025-12-23/

#Canada #Nickel posts country’s top metal district

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A close-up view of rocky terrain with the word 'NICKEL' prominently featured, incorporating a maple leaf design and a Canadian flag in the corner.

Two new initial resources for Canada Nickel’s (TSX-V: CNC; US-OTC: CNIKF) sulphide deposits in northern Ontario now make its Timmins Nickel District the largest undeveloped nickel base in the country and among the largest globally by contained metal.

The Bannockburn deposit hosts 63 million indicated tonnes grading 0.28% nickel for 180,000 tonnes of contained metal, and 129 million inferred tonnes at 0.27% nickel for 340,000 contained tonnes, the company reported Thursday.

Midlothian holds 595 million inferred tonnes grading 0.28% nickel for 1.68 million tonnes of nickel.

Those resources bump the total contained nickel across the company’s eight projects by about 12% to 20.9 million tonnes.

Globally, the Timmins District tops The Metals Company’s (Nasdaq: TMC) resource for its seabed Clarion-Clipperton Zone project that hosts an estimated 15.5 million contained tonnes of nickel and other critical metals.

Read more at: https://www.northernminer.com/news/canada-nickel-posts-countrys-top-metal-district/1003885825/

Why #China will still dominate #RareEarths for a long time?

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Rare Earths Aren’t Rare for Everyone.

The four decades that China spent building dominance in the small world of critical minerals is proving frustratingly hard to overcome.

Energy independence was for decades a fantasy in the US, until the advent of a new kind of oil production technology in the early aughts changed the rules of the game. Thanks to fracking and horizontal drilling, the US overtook petroleum heavyweights such as Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the world’s top oil producer, no longer at the mercy of mercurial trading partners.

Today, President Donald Trump’s White House is chasing a similar dream—this time with rare earth elements, the hard-to-pronounce metals that underpin much of modern technology. But unlike with shale oil and gas, it’s extremely unlikely the US is going to be able to innovate its way out of this profound deficit anytime soon.

Read more at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-10/why-china-will-still-dominate-rare-earths-for-a-long-time?srnd=homepage-europe

#US minerals projects seek ‘industrial vision’ from #Washington to compete with #China

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A serious-looking man in a black jacket holding a mineral sample, with a backdrop featuring the maps of the U.S. and China, representing the competition in the minerals sector.

Washington must move even faster to bolster critical minerals projects and offset Beijing’s grip on the world’s supply of the building blocks for electronics, weapons and a range of other goods, three U.S. mining and refining executives said on Thursday.

The push underscores how Washington’s surging support this year for the sector – including taking stakes in mining companies and guaranteeing a price floor for the only U.S. rare earths mine – is falling short of what industry leaders say is needed amid intense Chinese competition.

Executives from Perpetua Resources, American Rare Earths and Westwin Elements told the Reuters NEXT conference in New York that the U.S. government should release a comprehensive minerals plan, pressure Indonesia to trim nickel production, and speed up the time for the U.S. Export-Import Bank and other agencies to approve loan funding, among other steps.

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-minerals-projects-seek-more-support-washington-compete-with-china-2025-12-04/

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