Recently, Caixin reported that the first batch of rare earth mining and smelting separation total control quotas for 2025 has been issued to China Rare Earth Group and Northern Rare Earth, but no public disclosure has been made.
China Rare Earth is primarily engaged in rare earth resource development, smelting separation, deep processing, and the import-export trade of rare earth products. China Rare Earth Group is a leading, internationally prominent, comprehensive, and international large-scale rare earth industry group, integrating heavy and light rare earths. Medium-heavy rare earth resources are mainly distributed in Jiangxi, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Fujian, and Yunnan provinces, while light rare earth resources are primarily found in Sichuan and Shandong.
Northern Rare Earth focuses on optimizing and expanding its rare earth raw material base, leveraging the Bayan Obo rare earth resource advantages controlled by its parent company, Baogang Group. It procures rare earth concentrate produced by its subsidiary, Baogang Steel, and, in accordance with national rare earth smelting separation total control quotas, processes the concentrate into mixed rare earth carbonate or mixed rare earth chloride solution. These are then separated by the company’s directly affiliated and controlled entities into single or mixed rare earth chlorides, rare earth salts, and rare earth oxides, with some oxides further processed into rare earth metals.
In 2024, the total control quotas for rare earth mining and smelting separation were 270,000 tons and 254,000 tons, respectively. This included 62,200 tons of rock-mineral-type rare earth (light) and 19,150 tons of ion-adsorption-type rare earth (predominantly medium-heavy) for China Rare Earth, with 83,999 tons of smelting separation products. For Northern Rare Earth, the figures were 188,650 tons of rock-mineral-type rare earth (light) and 170,001 tons of smelting separation products.
Rare earth quotas are a core policy tool for national management of the rare earth industry. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) website, China has implemented mandatory production plans for rare earths since 2011. Since 2016, mining and smelting separation total control quotas have typically been issued in two batches annually, with three batches issued in 2023, reverting to two batches in 2024. In February 2025, the MIIT released the "Interim Measures for the Total Control of Rare Earth Mining and Smelting Separation (Draft for Public Consultation)," marking the first inclusion of imported ores and monazite in total control regulations.
