China has previously been cast in a sinister role with respect to restricting the production and export of critical rare earth metals, usually salts, used to produce a host of products. Those products include magnets for consumers electronics and electric cars, defense equipment and advanced ceramics.
But while the country deliberately created a near monopoly position in the global rare earths refining market, it created a horrendous environmental problem in the process.
Stay up to date on MetalMiner with weekly updates – without the sales pitch. Sign up now.
Rare earths consolidation and rising prices
tab62/Adobe Stock
In an effort to clean up its environmental act and to gain better control over what had become a wild west mining and refining landscape, Beijing engineered consolidation in the industry to fewer but larger entities.
However, that’s when the criticism started, as China capped exports, causing a spike in prices.
That was largely short-lived. Prices returned to earth after a spike in 2017. However, prices have been rising strongly again this year due to surging demand, both within China and without.
Prices are up between 20-50% this year alone. Surging demand has fueled a bidding war for supplies in a constrained market. With China holding some 85% of global refining capacity and the only mine to refined products supply chain, it not only has a unique position but a unique responsibility in the market.
