CHINA'S State Council recently unveiled a set of regulations on rare-earth management. The regulations clearly stipulate that rare-earth resources belong to the state, and no organization or individual may occupy or destroy rare-earth resources. The state implements protective mining of rare-earth resources. As with previous adjustments in China's rare-earth management, the announcement immediately attracted attention from Western media. This is due to the crucial role of rare-earth resources in high-tech manufacturing and green energy transition, as well as the Western media's perspective on China.

Rare earths are known as 'industrial vitamins' and are sometimes referred to as 'industrial gold,' highlighting the importance of this non-renewable strategic resource to modern industry. China is a major country in terms of rare-earth resources and production, supplying more than 70 percent of the world's rare-earth raw materials with less than 40 percent of the global rare-earth resources for many years, thus playing an important role in meeting both domestic and international demand. However, China is also under considerable pressure regarding rare-earth resources and environmental protection. For a long time, the development of rare-earth resources has been plagued by issues such as illegal mining, destructive mining practices, unplanned and excessive production and illegal trading of rare-earth products. The regulations are a manifestation of demand and logical necessity as a crucial step toward the standardized management of rare-earth resources in China, significantly promoting high-quality industry development. Consequently, the announcement of the regulations has been widely welcomed by the industry, leading to a surge in rare-earth stocks.