China issued on Friday measures to regulate the mining, smelting and separation of the critical minerals key to energy transition, further tightening its grip over supply.
Beijing already regulates and manages rare earth mining, smelting and separation via a quota system. The new rules will include imported raw materials in that quota system, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a statement, following a public consultation process that began in February.
The inclusion of imported ore signals a further tightening of supply, analysts said. The proposal sparked opposition from companies concerned they could lose access to feedstock.
Rare earths are a group of 17 elements used in products from lasers and military equipment to magnets found in electric vehicles, wind turbines and consumer electronics.
China is increasingly sensitive about rare earths and its control over supply, adding several rare earth items and magnets to its export restriction list in April in retaliation for U.S. tariff hikes.
It quietly issued its first 2025 rare earth mining and smelting quotas without making its usual public statement, Reuters reported last month, citing sources.
(Reporting by Beijing newsroom and Lewis Jackson; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Kate Mayberry)
