On May 20, 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping made an on-the-spot investigation of relevant rare earth enterprises during his visit to Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, and gave important instructions on promoting green and sustainable development of rare earth industry. General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech triggered a heated discussion on the development of China's rare earth industry from all walks of life. A few days ago, the reporter interviewed the responsible persons of the National Development and Reform Commission.
Q: General Secretary Xi Jinping's local investigation and research has always been the focus of public opinion at home and abroad. On May 20, General Secretary Xi Jinping took Ganzhou as the first stop for his visit to the central region. Please give us some background information.
A: Jiangxi is a key province in the central region. Ganzhou is located in southern Jiangxi, which belongs to the former Central Soviet Area. It is the cradle of the People's Republic and the main birthplace of the spirit of the Soviet Area. It has made tremendous sacrifices for the victory of the Chinese revolution. However, due to various reasons, the economic and social development of the former Central Soviet Area, such as southern Jiangxi, has been lagging behind for a long time. General Secretary Xi Jinping attached great importance to the development of the Southern Jiangxi Soviet Area and made important instructions on many occasions. In 2012, the State Council issued "Some Opinions on Supporting the Revitalization and Development of the Former Central Soviet Area, such as Southern Jiangxi", which opened a new journey for the leapfrog development of the former Central Soviet Area, such as Southern Jiangxi.
In recent years, Gannan and other former Central Soviet areas have developed rapidly. But objectively speaking, the overall economic scale and per capita level are still low because of the low base and weak foundation. Especially compared with the goal of building a well-off society in an all-round way at the same time throughout the country, and with the aspiration of the broad masses of people for a better life, there is still a certain gap. General Secretary Xi Jinping took Ganzhou as the first stop in his investigation, which fully embodied the Party Central Committee's cordial concern for the people of Ganzhou and attached great importance to accelerating the high-quality development of Ganzhou and other old revolutionary areas.
Q: We have noted that General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Ganzhou on a special visit to Jiangxi Jinli Permanent Magnet Science and Technology Co., Ltd. and made important instructions on promoting green and sustainable development of rare earth industry. Although the term rare earth is very popular, it is not necessarily well understood by ordinary people. Could you introduce the development of rare earth industry?
Answer: Rare earths are non-renewable resources, including 17 elements. They can be divided into light rare earths and heavy rare earths. Heavy rare earths are more valuable. Rare earth elements have excellent physical properties such as optoelectronics and electromagnetism. When trace rare earth elements are added to other materials, they can greatly improve the quality and performance of products, playing the role of & ldquo; gold from Stone & rdquo; which is known as & ldquo; Vitamin & rdquo; in modern industry. Rare earth elements are widely used in metallurgy, petrochemical, optical, laser, hydrogen storage, display panel, magnetic materials and other modern industrial fields. Especially with the continuous progress of world scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, the application scope of rare earth elements is further expanding, and its strategic value and significance will become more prominent.
China is the world's largest producer of rare earth, and many developed countries are in great demand for rare earth. Strengthening the exploitation and utilization of rare earth resources is of positive significance to the development of China and the world economy as a whole. Ganzhou has incomparable and irreplaceable rare earth resources, of which heavy rare earth accounts for 80% of the country. It has a complete category and superior grade. It is known as “ Rare Earth Kingdom ” and its reputation can be said that the rare earth industry plays a decisive role in the economic and social development of Ganzhou.
In recent years, Ganzhou has reached the leading level in China by integrating market resources, increasing R&D investment, and separating smelting technology. Its industrial scale accounts for one third of the total amount of the country. Ganzhou has become an important production base of rare earth smelting products and new material industry base in China, initially forming a complete and distinctive rare earth industry system. In 2018, Enterprises above the scale of Ganzhou rare earth industry realized their main business income of 26 billion yuan.
But at the same time, Ganzhou rare earth industry development is also facing many challenges. For example, the integration of enterprises is slow, and the scale effect has not been brought into full play; the management ability of enterprises is weak, and the production is still scattered; the green development ability lags behind, and the environmental protection and safety problems are more prominent; the R&D investment is insufficient, and the application of high-end industries needs to be improved. These problems are being solved steadily through deepening reform, expanding opening-up.
Q: There are many public opinions that the current Sino-US economic and trade frictions continue to escalate. Rare earth, as China's superior strategic resources, may become an important chip for China's countermeasure against the United States. What do you think of this view?
Answer: In today's highly globalized industrial division of labor, there is no progress without cooperation. As the world's largest supplier of rare earth materials, China has been adhering to the principle of openness, coordination and sharing to promote the development of rare earth industry. On the one hand, we adhere to the principle that rare earth resources give priority to domestic needs; on the other hand, we are willing to meet the legitimate needs of the world for rare earth resources. We are glad to see that China's rare earth resources and products can be widely used to manufacture all kinds of advanced products to better meet the needs of people all over the world for a better life.
Regarding the Sino-US economic and trade frictions, the relevant departments have made solemn statements on many occasions. I would like to reiterate here that the industrial chains of China and the United States are highly integrated and complementary, and that the so-called "two benefits" and "fighting" are both harmful, and that there is no winner in the trade war. I can tell you that if anyone wants to use the products we export rare earth to curb and suppress the development of China, then I think the people of the Central Soviet Area and the Chinese people in southern Jiangxi will be unhappy.

Bayan Obo Rare Earth Mine
China's rare earth attitude attracts great attention from foreign media
This interview report immediately attracted the attention of foreign media after it was published.
Reuters said the remarks by the head of China's National Development and Reform Commission triggered speculation that Beijing might use rare earth as a weapon of trade war. Recently, tensions between the United States and China have persisted, and the United States fears that China may use its position as a major supplier of rare earths as a lever to leverage the trade war between the two countries.
& The website quotes Bruno, an independent analyst, as saying that the head of China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) sent the message to the United States.Outgoing & ldquo; Clearly declare & rdquo;. Reported that if China really restricts rare earth exports, it may cause substantial harm to Washington, because rare earth is widely used in military, high-tech and other industries, almost no other resources can replace. Reported that China controls most of the world's rare earth production and supply, Trump government also understands the strategic importance of this resource, so recently said that the remaining 300 billion US dollars of Chinese imports to the United States will be imposed tariffs on rare earth excluded from the list of tariff-added products.
According to Fox News, China is rich in rare earth resources, and one of the counter-measures to impose tariffs on the United States is that China can & ldquo; potentially restrict & rdquo; and U.S. companies use Chinese rare earth products. Chinese officials have expressed their willingness to meet the legitimate needs of the world for rare earth resources. Although the name of the United States is not called, it is actually implied that if demand & ldquo; improper & rdquo; then these needs may be rejected by China. (excerpts from & ldquo; global network & rdquo;)