Discovery of massive rare earth deposit in Yunnan a boost for China
China Geological Survey says deposit has potential resources of 1.15 million tonnes, including more than 470,000 tonnes of key rare earths
China has reported the discovery of an extremely large rare earth deposit in the southwestern province of Yunnan as it seeks to strengthen its control over global supply chains for critical minerals.
The recently discovered rare earth deposit primarily contains medium and heavy rare earths, which are crucial inputs in the manufacturing of hi-tech products including electric vehicles, wind turbines and cutting-edge defence systems.
It has potential resources of 1.15 million tonnes, including more than 470,000 tonnes of key rare earth elements such as praseodymium and neodymium, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources’ China Geological Survey.
“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,” it said on its public WeChat account.
The latest discovery is one of the outcomes of an initiative launched in January 2023 to locate resources of strategic importance, including lithium, helium and rare earths.
China is the world’s top producer of rare earth elements – which include 17 metal oxides – with 44 million tonnes of deposits, according to the US Geological Survey.
