China introduces fresh regulation on rare earth mining

• Exisiting regulations expanded to include raw material imports
• India also working to boost resource security in critical minerals

China, which dominates the global supply of rare earth minerals, has issued fresh regulations pertaining to the mining, smelting, and separation of these minerals, which are critical to the world’s transition to clean technologies.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Natural Resources have issued ‘Interim Measures for the Total Quantity Control and Management of Rare Earth Mining and Rare Earth Smelting and Separation’, said the The Shenzhen Securities Times Co Ltd, on Friday.

Rare earth and its processing are already regulated by existing measures, stated a Reuters report. It now also covers imports of raw materials. This move, explained The Shenzhen Securities Times, is intended to further “control the supply of the strategic resource, safeguard its economic and national security, and secure a strategic advantage in international competition.”

Notably, rare earth minerals, such as neodymium, are vital for clean energy transition globally, especially in electric vehicles and wind turbines, because of their superior magnetic properties that enable the conversion of electrical energy to mechanical energy in electric motors.

This runs contrary to earlier media reports in India, suggesting China is likely to lift rare earths export curbs.

Responding to queries from the Indian media, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that she was unaware of the news reports. Mao added, “We are willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with relevant countries and regions to jointly maintain the stability of the global industrial and supply chains.”

Recently, on 18 August 2025, India’s coal and mining minister, G Kishan Reddy, while responding to a question by fellow Member of Parliament Sudha Murty, had listed out India’s recent moves towards resource security in critical minerals. He stated, “The Ministry of Mines is engaged in various multilateral and bilateral platforms such as Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), India-US Strategic Mineral Recovery Initiative, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), and UK-India Technology Security Initiative (TSI), etc., for strengthening the critical minerals value chain.”