China Increases Rare Earth Production, Reaching New High in Yearly Quota

Soil containing various rare earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, China, in a file photo. STR/AFP via Getty Images

China is to boost this year’s quota of rare-earth metal production by 20 percent, to a record high. In recent years, countries such as the United States have been concerned about the threat of the communist regime leveraging its dominance in these essential materials.

The country plans to produce 168,000 tons of rare earth in 2021, up from 140,000 tons last year, according to Reuters, which cited a recently released notification from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Natural Resources.