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China - Rare Earth Metals - Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends And Insights
Report Update: Apr 1, 2025

China - Rare Earth Metals - Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends And Insights

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Jan 29, 2025

China's Strategic Control Over Critical Minerals Raises Global Concerns

China has been systematically extending its control over critical minerals, essential for the global energy transition and achieving net-zero emissions, over the past two decades. A recent report by AidData at the College of William & Mary reveals how Beijing utilizes an intricate network of at least 26 state-backed financial institutions to dominate the global supply chain. These minerals, such as copper, cobalt, nickel, lithium, and rare earth elements, are critical for the development of emerging technologies like electric vehicle batteries and solar panels.

Data from the IndexBox platform supports these findings, underlining the strategic investments by China in resource-rich nations such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Peru for copper and cobalt, Indonesia for nickel, and Argentina for lithium. Notably, over 75% of these investments were structured to ensure Chinese ownership stakes, primarily through joint ventures (JVs) and special purpose vehicles (SPVs), permitting them significant leverage over the extraction and processing of these resources.

The report distinguishes China's mineral financing strategy from its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), emphasizing a diverse network of lenders, including prominent state-owned commercial banks like the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, and Citic. Unlike conventional BRI loans, which involve a limited group of Chinese development banks, transition mineral financing often involves serial loans, indicating a prolonged commitment to securing upstream resources. AidData notes that nearly 25% of loans in the mineral sector were backed by Chinese guarantors, a stark contrast to the approximate 4% guarantee rate for standard BRI projects.

Recent insights, such as those from The Economist, corroborate the scale of China's investments in this sector. In 2023, Chinese firms invested around $16 billion in foreign mines, marking the highest investment level in a decade, with IndexBox data showing a significant increase from less than $5 billion the previous year.

While this expansion presents economic opportunities, the report raises concerns about its implications for host countries. In two-thirds of the cases, JVs and SPVs excluded significant government ownership, thereby reducing financial liabilities for these nations but also limiting their access to future financial returns from mineral extraction. AidData's findings spotlight Beijing's deliberate strategy to secure access to critical minerals, urging other nations to consider the geopolitical ramifications and the balance between economic gains from Chinese investments and sovereignty over natural resources.

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the rare earth metal market in China. Within it, you will discover the latest data on market trends and opportunities by country, consumption, production and price developments, as well as the global trade (imports and exports). The forecast exhibits the market prospects through 2030.

Product coverage:

    Country coverage:

    Data coverage:

    • Market volume and value
    • Per Capita consumption
    • Forecast of the market dynamics in the medium term
    • Trade (exports and imports) in China
    • Export and import prices
    • Market trends, drivers and restraints
    • Key market players and their profiles

    Reasons to buy this report:

    • Take advantage of the latest data
    • Find deeper insights into current market developments
    • Discover vital success factors affecting the market

    This report is designed for manufacturers, distributors, importers, and wholesalers, as well as for investors, consultants and advisors.

    In this report, you can find information that helps you to make informed decisions on the following issues:

    1. How to diversify your business and benefit from new market opportunities
    2. How to load your idle production capacity
    3. How to boost your sales on overseas markets
    4. How to increase your profit margins
    5. How to make your supply chain more sustainable
    6. How to reduce your production and supply chain costs
    7. How to outsource production to other countries
    8. How to prepare your business for global expansion

    While doing this research, we combine the accumulated expertise of our analysts and the capabilities of artificial intelligence. The AI-based platform, developed by our data scientists, constitutes the key working tool for business analysts, empowering them to discover deep insights and ideas from the marketing data.

    1. 1. INTRODUCTION

      Making Data-Driven Decisions to Grow Your Business

      1. REPORT DESCRIPTION
      2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND AI PLATFORM
      3. DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
      4. GLOSSARY AND SPECIFIC TERMS

    2. 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

      A Quick Overview of Market Performance

      1. KEY FINDINGS
      2. MARKET TRENDS This Chapter is Available Only for the Professional Edition PRO

    3. 3. MARKET OVERVIEW

      Understanding the Current State of The Market and Its Prospects

      1. MARKET SIZE
      2. MARKET STRUCTURE
      3. TRADE BALANCE
      4. PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION
      5. MARKET FORECAST TO 2030

    4. 4. MOST PROMISING PRODUCT

      Finding New Products to Diversify Your Business

      This Chapter is Available Only for the Professional Edition PRO
      1. TOP PRODUCTS TO DIVERSIFY YOUR BUSINESS
      2. BEST-SELLING PRODUCTS
      3. MOST CONSUMED PRODUCT
      4. MOST TRADED PRODUCT
      5. MOST PROFITABLE PRODUCT FOR EXPORT

    5. 5. MOST PROMISING SUPPLYING COUNTRIES

      Choosing the Best Countries to Establish Your Sustainable Supply Chain

      This Chapter is Available Only for the Professional Edition PRO
      1. TOP COUNTRIES TO SOURCE YOUR PRODUCT
      2. TOP PRODUCING COUNTRIES
      3. TOP EXPORTING COUNTRIES
      4. LOW-COST EXPORTING COUNTRIES

    6. 6. MOST PROMISING OVERSEAS MARKETS

      Choosing the Best Countries to Boost Your Exports

      This Chapter is Available Only for the Professional Edition PRO
      1. TOP OVERSEAS MARKETS FOR EXPORTING YOUR PRODUCT
      2. TOP CONSUMING MARKETS
      3. UNSATURATED MARKETS
      4. TOP IMPORTING MARKETS
      5. MOST PROFITABLE MARKETS

    7. 7. PRODUCTION

      The Latest Trends and Insights into The Industry

      1. PRODUCTION VOLUME AND VALUE

    8. 8. IMPORTS

      The Largest Import Supplying Countries

      1. IMPORTS FROM 2012–2024
      2. IMPORTS BY COUNTRY
      3. IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY

    9. 9. EXPORTS

      The Largest Destinations for Exports

      1. EXPORTS FROM 2012–2024
      2. EXPORTS BY COUNTRY
      3. EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY

    10. 10. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERS

      The Largest Producers on The Market and Their Profiles

      This Chapter is Available Only for the Professional Edition PRO

    11. LIST OF TABLES

      1. Key Findings In 2024
      2. Market Volume, In Physical Terms, 2012–2024
      3. Market Value, 2012–2024
      4. Per Capita Consumption In 2012-2024
      5. Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
      6. Imports, In Value Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
      7. Import Prices, By Country Of Origin, 2012–2024
      8. Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
      9. Exports, In Value Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
      10. Export Prices, By Country Of Destination, 2012–2024

    12. LIST OF FIGURES

      1. Market Volume, In Physical Terms, 2012–2024
      2. Market Value, 2012–2024
      3. Market Structure – Domestic Supply vs. Imports, In Physical Terms, 2012-2024
      4. Market Structure – Domestic Supply vs. Imports, In Value Terms, 2012-2024
      5. Trade Balance, In Physical Terms, 2012-2024
      6. Trade Balance, In Value Terms, 2012-2024
      7. Per Capita Consumption, 2012-2024
      8. Market Volume Forecast to 2030
      9. Market Value Forecast to 2030
      10. Products: Market Size And Growth, By Type
      11. Products: Average Per Capita Consumption, By Type
      12. Products: Exports And Growth, By Type
      13. Products: Export Prices And Growth, By Type
      14. Production Volume And Growth
      15. Exports And Growth
      16. Export Prices And Growth
      17. Market Size And Growth
      18. Per Capita Consumption
      19. Imports And Growth
      20. Import Prices
      21. Production, In Physical Terms, 2012–2024
      22. Production, In Value Terms, 2012–2024
      23. Imports, In Physical Terms, 2012–2024
      24. Imports, In Value Terms, 2012–2024
      25. Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2024
      26. Imports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
      27. Imports, In Value Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
      28. Import Prices, By Country Of Origin, 2012–2024
      29. Exports, In Physical Terms, 2012–2024
      30. Exports, In Value Terms, 2012–2024
      31. Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2024
      32. Exports, In Physical Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
      33. Exports, In Value Terms, By Country, 2012–2024
      34. Export Prices, By Country Of Destination, 2012–2024

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