[News] China’s New Rare Earth Rules Require Monthly Product Flow Reporting

While China gradually relaxes rare earth export restrictions following its late-June agreement—signaling a commitment to approve U.S. export applications—the country today (August 22) announced the “Interim Measures for the Total Volume Regulation and Management of Rare Earth Mining and Rare Earth Smelting and Separation,” expected to take effect immediately, according to Chinese media.

Notably, as Yicai Global and Calian Press point out, the measures stipulate that rare earth production enterprises must establish product flow recording systems to accurately document rare earth product distribution information. Companies, as per the information cited by the reports, are required to input the previous month’s rare earth product flow data into the rare earth product traceability system established by the 10th of each month.

The measures establish that China will implement total quota control management over rare earth mining (including rare earth mineral products) and smelting separation of various rare earth mineral products (including monazite concentrates) obtained through mining, imports, and processing of other minerals, as highlighted by The Paper.

The term “rare earth mining” in the Interim Measures refers to the production process of mining and beneficiation of various types of rare earth ores, including cerium-bearing bastnäsite, ion-adsorption ores, mixed rare earth ores, and others, to produce rare earth mineral products, as per The Paper.

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