China solidified its global dominance in rare earth elements mining with a new discovery that its experts say is likely to be the largest middle and heavy rare earth deposit in the country.
The discovery was first reported in the Chinese paper Workers’ Daily late January, then confirmed and published by the China Geological Survey (CGS) under the Ministry of Natural Resources.
According to the CGS, the deposit could host as much as 1.15 million tonnes of resources containing key rare earth elements such as praseodymium, neodymium, dysprosium and terbium, which are being sought after globally. Once tapped, it would yield about 470,000 tonnes of these strategic minerals, it estimated.
The discovery is located in the southwestern province of Yunnan, which is known for its rich endowment of minerals and has some of the largest deposits of aluminum, zinc and tin in China.
Breakthrough discovery
Chinese media claim that the new discovery represents another breakthrough in its mineral exploration, as it is the first super-large ion-adsorption type deposit found in the country in over half a century.
Rare earth minerals on this type of deposit are naturally concentrated and absorbed onto clay surfaces, making them relatively easy to extract through environmentally sensitive methods like ion exchange. The last such discovery dates back to 1969 in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangxi.
The new find, according to CGS experts, is predominantly middle and heavy rare earth minerals, which are essential raw materials for electric vehicles, renewable energy and national defense security. Light rare earths used in permanent magnets, on the other hand, are much more abundant in China and mainly distributed in areas such as Inner Mongolia.
“The discovery is highly significant for strengthening China’s advantage in rare earth resources, improving the rare earth industry chain, and further consolidating China’s strategic dominance in medium and heavy rare earth resources,” the CGS posted on its public WeChat account, later reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
This massive rare earth find follows the CGS’s recent establishment of a national geochemical baseline network, which is designed to help generate extensive data and advance mineral exploration techniques.
Rare earth dominance
The discovery reinforces China’s world-leading position in the rare earth mining sector. The Asian powerhouse controls roughly 60% of rare earth production and 85% of processing capacity worldwide. As of 2023, its total mine production was 240,000 tonnes, nearly six times that of the US, the next leading producer and its main rival.
According to the US Geological Survey, China’s catalog of REE deposits currently includes 17 metal oxides contained within 44 million tonnes of resources. These include the world’s largest rare earths mine, Bayan Obo, in Inner Mongolia.
Customs data showed that Chinese rare earth exports rose 6% last year to 55,431 tonnes.

Published Date:2025-03-25