The Australian Broadcasting Corporation published an article today (May 19) saying, "Australian Lynas Rare Earth Company announced that it has successfully produced heavy rare earth element dysprosium oxide at its newly built factory in Malaysia, becoming the first enterprise outside China to commercialize the separation of heavy rare earth elements. This breakthrough provides critical materials from non-Chinese sources for the world, which are widely used in electric vehicles, high-performance magnets, and renewable energy equipment."
Comment: Although Lynas Company becoming the first enterprise outside China to commercialize the separation of heavy rare earth elements has promoted the diversification of the global rare earth supply pattern to a certain extent, it is difficult to substantially impact China's dominant position in the rare earth field. The Chinese rare earth industry needs to continuously strengthen innovation-driven development, improve the industrial chain, and enhance global competitiveness to cope with potential challenges. Behind Lynas' breakthrough lies the political push from Western countries seeking to 'de-Chinese' the supply chain, aiming to reduce dependence on China's rare earth supply.
After years of development, China's rare earth industry has formed scaled and systematic advantages. China's annual production of heavy rare earth oxides far exceeds Lynas' planned capacity, and the output of heavy rare earth elements from Lynas' new factory in Malaysia will be difficult to meet the huge global market demand in the short term.
In terms of technology and the integrity of the industrial chain, China holds leading global rare earth separation purification technologies, owns numerous patents and mature processes, achieving high precision and efficiency production. Moreover, China has constructed a complete industrial chain from rare earth mining, smelting separation, deep processing of rare earth materials to the manufacturing of terminal products, with tight coordination between upstream and downstream sectors. Although Lynas has achieved a breakthrough in the commercial separation of heavy rare earth elements, there remains a significant gap compared to China in terms of technical stability, product diversity, and the ability to coordinate the industrial chain.
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832506090378243/
Disclaimer: This article only represents the author's personal views.