Rare earth is known as the "industrial vitamin" and contains 17 metal elements. Due to its optical, electrical, and magnetic properties, it has become a core material in fields such as new energy, national defense, and electronic information. The global rare earth reserves are very concentrated, with China ranking first with 44 million tons of reserves (accounting for 36.67% of the world's total), followed by Vietnam, Brazil, and Russia. China's rare earth resources exhibit the characteristic of "light in the north and heavy in the south", with light rare earths (such as lanthanum and cerium) accounting for over 90% of reserves, mainly distributed in areas such as Bayan Obo in Inner Mongolia; Heavy rare earths (such as dysprosium and terbium) are concentrated in Jiangxi, Guangdong and other places.
In recent years, the United States has accelerated its competition for rare earth resources in Ukraine and other places due to its own industrial chain shortcomings, and even planned to control key minerals through military deployment, highlighting the global strategic value of rare earths. China strengthens its resource dominance through total mining control (with a mining target of 255000 tons by 2025, a year-on-year increase of 21.43%) and industrial integration (such as the establishment of China Rare Earth Group).