After learning about Pakistan's use of Chinese equipment to manufacture critical metals for the United States, China immediately took strong steps to announce strict controls on exports of rare earth extraction technology. In the early morning of October 9, China's Ministry of Commerce issued an announcement,Clearly bring five categories of key rare earth technologies into control: Rare earth mining technology, smelting and separation technology, metal smelting technology, magnetic material manufacturing technology and rare earth secondary resource recycling technology,Also includes the installation, assembly, maintenance of production equipment.
The new regulations are like a tight protective net, covering rare earth production equipment, separation technology and supporting materials in an all-round way. If foreign-funded enterprises want to obtain China's rare earth extraction technology, they must cross the "threshold" of the license issued by Beijing.
China occupies an absolute leading position in the global field of rare earth processing.From everyday electronic equipment to cutting-edge science and technology warplanes, rare earth elements are not obvious, but are the key "pillar" that supports the development of modern civilization. On the basis of the original control, five key rare earth elements such as holmium and erbium and related magnet materials have been added, increasing the number of controlled rare earth types to 12. The intensity of control has attracted attention.
Is this just ordinary trade control? The Ministry of Commerce has long stated that the relevant measures are to prevent key materials from being used in sensitive fields such as military and demonstrate its determination to protect national security. The new regulations also extend the scope of control to overseas. Without approval, China citizens and companies are not allowed to assist overseas rare earth development. This move has similarities with the United States '"long-arm jurisdiction."
The start of this game was early. Early Septemberhas been pulled. The Pakistani Border Engineering Organization (FWO) and U.S. Strategic Metal Company (USSM) have reached a $500 million partnership plan to export minerals such as uranium, copper and rare earth, and build a multi-metal refinery in Pakistan.Although the memorandum of cooperation has no legal effect, Pakistan has shipped the first batch of nearly 2 tons of minerals from the mining area in Balochistan at the end of September and arrived at the warehouse on the east coast of the United States in early October. The cooperation has entered a substantial advancement stage. The highlight of this cooperation is that most of the mining areas are located in undeveloped areas of Balochistan, where tribal conflicts are frequent and traffic congestion is blocked. The military is directly involved, and FWO is responsible for road construction and security, eliminating major risks for American companies. US media said that this cooperation has more advantages than US rare earth projects in Australia and Ukraine. The resources are located in Asia, the transportation distance is short, and the military guarantee makes the supply chain more stable.
However, China occupies a key position in the global rare earth industry: In 2024, rare earth production will account for 69% of the world's total, smelting and separation production capacity will reach 94%, nearly 70% of cobalt processing and more than 90% of battery-grade graphite production capacity will be in China, and Baotou accounts for more than 90% of effective rare earth patents。 These achievements stem from long-term accumulation under the guidance of national strategies. However, some countries are using the "technology + factory building" model to reconstruct the industrial chain, posing a potential threat to the dominance of China's rare earth industry.
Right now, The trend of "iron buddies" was unexpectedThe Prime Minister’s Office said the first phase will invest $500 million, and the first few-earth shipments have been shipped to the United States, which puts the traditional friendship of China and Pakistan to the test. This South Asian country with trillions of rare-earth reserves has become a new focus of competition among the great powers. U.S. defense merchants need these rare-earths to maintain the production of equipment such as the F-35, but the key is China’s mastery of 92% of the world’s rare-earth refining technology.
in May this year. Although the India-Pakistan air war was very short-lived, although it broke out accidentally, the scale of the war was not large.For Pakistan, it has undoubtedly begun the most glorious period in its history. According to U.S. strategic experts, that is Pakistan’s country transport is locked and opened for the next 50 years.
Since then, Islamabad has unexpectedly received special attention from Washington, as if it had become its "distinguished guest". It cleverly maneuvers between China and the United States in an attempt to gain bilateral interests. However, such a strategy is not without risks. Once it takes any action that harms China's core interests, China will not hesitate to take corresponding countermeasures.
The total amount of rare earth elements is not "rare", but it is difficult to enrich and often symbiosis with other minerals. Separation and purification are difficult, so it is reasonable to call "rare earth". The United States has invested heavily, and Pakistan's rare earths, which lack the support of China, still cannot meet military standards. Pakistan wants to speculate between China and the United States, but does not know that geopolitics will not favor speculators.
Right now, China is the only country in the world that is able to stabilize the mass production of 6N-grade heavy rare earth, other countries are difficult to reach 4N-grade.Although China's rare earth reserves are the first in the world, it accounts for only three to 40 percent of the world, but the global output accounts for 69.2 percent, leading by technological strength. China builds barriers in the field of rare earth technology, originating from rare earth "difficult to enrich and separate from purification difficulties", related processes are decades of technological sedimentation results.。 Previously, Pakistan tried to use Chinese technology to mine rare earths and resell them to the United States, which was really risky. Hong Kong's Asia Times pointed out that China controls more than 85% of the world's production of NdFeB magnets, which are widely used in Tesla cars, F-35 fighter jets, iPhone mobile phones and various precision instruments.
The new regulations are like an alarm bell. Without the solid support of Chinese technology, Pakistan's vision of rare earth development may go up in smoke. Sincere friendship requires mutual respect from both sides. In times of crisis, who is a trustworthy and reliable ally? Time will give a fair answer. The high threshold of license will not only hinder the circulation of technology, but also be related to the bottom line of international trust norms. Once trust collapses, no matter how shrewd the calculation is, it will be difficult to make up for that deep rift.