The rare earth industry faces a historic opportunity for high-quality development

The communique of the fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee put forward the formation of a strong domestic market and the construction of a new pattern of development.At present and for some time to come, we are still in an important period of strategic opportunities for development, but there are new changes in both opportunities and challenges.It is clearly stated in the communique that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, economic and social development will take promoting high-quality development as the theme, deepening supply-side structural reform as the main line, reform and innovation as the fundamental driving force, and meeting the people's ever-growing needs for a better life as the fundamental goal.

The decision and deployment of the CPC Central Committee have pointed out the direction and set the target for the future development of China's rare earth industry.During the 14th five-year Plan period, China has been confronted with the following historic opportunities to promote the high-quality development of rare earth industry.First, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation has entered a period of in-depth expansion, providing opportunities for China's rare earth industry to move to the middle and upper end of the global value chain.Second, the scale, system and market advantages of China's super-large economies of scale provide favorable conditions for the rare earth industry to seize opportunities and make good use of them.

From the perspective of the world economic environment, China is now in the best period of development since modern times, and the world is in a period of great changes unseen in a century.As an indispensable and important element of new materials, rare earth industry is facing the change of "internationalization of supply pattern" and increasingly fierce international competition.

 Under such circumstances, the development of rare earth enterprises should adapt to market changes, adhere to innovative development, and speed up the restructuring, transformation and upgrading of the rare earth industry.In the future, with the improvement of the research and development level of new rare earth materials in China, it will definitely develop from a major country in rare earth production to a major country in material manufacturing and application.

The future development of China's rare earth industry will focus on "strong base", one of which is basic materials.In reform transition period, in other words, the "new normal" manufacturing, to from the "made in China" to the "wisdom" in China, this would require the development of rare earth is widely used new energy, new materials, aerospace, electronic information, biological technology, energy conservation, environmental protection, such as high-tech products, it also is the important development direction of rare earth new materials.

The status and role of the rare earth industry in the 13th Five-Year Plan period has been further enhanced, and its contribution to the country is also increasing.The 14th five-year Plan period will be a crucial period for China's rare earth industry to intensify technological research and development, realize sustainable and healthy development, and step up to the middle and high end of the industry.Industries such as electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, high-speed railways and industrial robots will see rapid development, and the use of rare earth high-end materials and products such as permanent magnet motors and power batteries will also be greatly increased.

For example, in the future, rare earth consumption will form mainstream advantages in five new materials, such as hydrogen storage and automobile exhaust purification, and the related consumption will show an increasing trend.In 2009, domestic consumption of new rare earth materials was 38,000 tons, accounting for 55 percent of the total consumption. By 2019, its consumption had reached 92,000 tons, accounting for 67 percent of the total consumption of rare earth materials.

In order to realize the strategic goal of making China's rare earth industry bigger and stronger, on the one hand, we must work hard on the rare earth industry itself, accelerate the improvement of its weak spots and weaknesses, promote the quality reform, effective reform and dynamic reform, and enhance the status of China's rare earth industry in the global supply chain, industrial chain and value chain.On the other hand, it also requires the concerted efforts of all sectors of society to thoroughly implement in thought and action the important spirit of the fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee that manufacturing is the foundation of the real economy, and to pay close attention to the high-quality development of the rare earth industry.

Of course, to achieve high-quality development of the rare earth industry, we need to shift from "whether or not" to "good or not" and from "not too big or not" to "strong or not"."Difference" period, the development of the rare earth industry must abandon the vulgar way, speed up the key core technology breakthrough of rare earths, high-level win rare earth industrial base and modern industry chain to be completed, continue to implement enterprise technical transformation, promote the old and new momentum in the transformation, improve the quality and brand, speed up the industrial value chain in the high jump.