China’s dominance in rare earth mining, refining and exports has lengthy been considered as a strategic advantage.
But a brand new examine by Chinese researchers argues that the nation’s rare earth industry has its personal critical weak point.
“China is not in a leading position in mastering key core technologies in certain fields,” the researchers wrote within the paper.
Published within the newest problem of the Bulletin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the examine shifts the main target away from useful resource reserves and manufacturing capability, as a substitute mapping high-end rare earth purposeful materials applied sciences.
The researchers, from the University of Science and Technology of China, concluded that key patents underpinning superior rare earth purposeful supplies remained largely managed by Japan and the United States.
These downstream compounds and parts created from processed rare earths – together with permanent magnets, catalysts and luminescent and sharpening supplies – accounted for greater than 80 per cent of rare earth-related patents worldwide and represented the industry’s most commercially vital purposes.