China rare earth market has developed well in 2006. During the first half of 2006, the price of rare earth increased dramatically as well as the total export, particularly for the strategic lanthanon such as terbia, dysprosium oxide, neodymium oxide, neodymium and terbium, etc.

According to the statistics, there are 154 million tons of exploitable rare earth reserves globally, among which 89 million tons (about 58%) are distributed in China. Currently, China has established a complete production system from exploiting, selecting, smelting, separating, and analyzing to testing, with which it can produce over 100 kinds of rare earth products. However, it lags far behind the developed countries in hi-tech rare earth development and application.

The disorderly competition in China rare earth market, especially among rare earth separating enterprises, resulted in a price chaos, and a price war is being fought among domestic enterprises. China tops of the world in rare earth reserves, production scale & output, export and consumption, yet Chinese rare earth enterprises are obsessed with lower price. Therefore, it is imperative for China rare earth industry to carry out an upgrade strategy as soon as possible. And actually, in 2006, the rare earth quota has decreased by 10% over 2005 as a result of related policies formulated by Chinese government, such as the reform of export drawback, and the quota adjustment, etc.

In terms of rare earth products, the primary ones will be gradually replaced by refined chemical ones in the near future and it will show the characteristics of much purer, more compounds and more refined. Besides, foreign capitals will introduce into Chinese markets, which would result in a new round of competition, and inevitably, some small-scale featureless companies will be eliminated from the market eventually.

List of Rare Earth Export Enterprises, 2006

The revival of automotive and electronics industry boosts great demand of the rare earth industry. Automotive catalytic converter and permanent magnet are expected to keep strong demands for cerium and neodymium until 2009. Currently, the production capacity of China rare earth has an excessive growth. In the first half of 2006, newly-increased rare earth separating capacity in Jiangxi and Guangdong reached nearly 10,000 tons, and moreover, the total rare earth separating capacity in South China alone accumulated to 54,700 tons.

At present, the global demand for rare earth, calculated in rare earth oxide, is up to approximately 80,000-90,000 tons annually. Yet, in China, the treatment capacity of rare earth has realized 200,000 tons per year, and smelting & separating capacity has reached more than 200,000 tons annually.

The global application of rare earth is forecasted to be 110,000 tons in 2007. The global demand for rare earth in 2010-2012 will be 600,000 tons (including 350, 000 tons applied in hybrid electric vehicle), half of which will come from China. The global demand for rare earth in 2020-2025 will reach 2 million tons (including over 1.5 million tons applied in hydrogen fuel vehicle, hybrid vehicle and electric vehicle, each accounting for 1/3), some 35% (around 700.000 tons) of which will come from China.

Table of content

2 Rare earth resources in China
2.1 Overview
2.2 Development strategies
2.2.1 Resource advantages
2.2.2 Strategy of developed countries
2.2.3 Improving the Mining rate
2.2.4 Overseas rare earth resources utilization
2.2.5 Expanding reserves and maintaining advantages

3 Development of China rare earth industry
3.1 Status quo in 2006
3.1.1 Industry overview
3.1.2 Industry structure
3.1.3 Competitiveness
3.2 China rare earth market in 2006
3.2.1 Market overview
3.2.2 Price
3.2.3 Supply and demand
3.3 Rare earth export of China in 2006
3.3.1 Export status
3.3.2 Development trends
3.4 Problems in China rare earth industry in 2006
3.4.1 Restriction from environment and resources
3.4.2 Disorderly competition
3.4.3 Excessive expansion
3.4.4 Weak awareness of independent IPR

4 Major producing areas of rare earth
4.1 Inner Mongolia
4.1.1 Overview
4.1.2 Industry structure
4.1.3 Status quo in Baotou
4.2 South China
4.2.1 Overview
4.2.2Rare earth mines
4.2.3 Rare earth separating
4.2.4 Rare earth metals and others
4.2.5 Development trends
4.3 Jiangxi
4.3.1 Overview
4.3.2 Development of Ganzhou rare earth industry
4.3.3 Layout of Ganzhou rare earth industry
4.3.4 Development strategies on rare earth in Ganzhou
4.4 Other regions
4.4.1 Sichuan
4.4.2 Anhui

5 Major fields for rare earth application
5.1 Catalysis
5.2 Permanent magnet
5.3 Luminescent materials
5.4 Glass
5.5 Polishing powder
5.6 Metallurgy
5.7 Ceramics
5.8 Agriculture

6 Major domestic rare earth enterprises
6.1 Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Rare-Earth Hi-Tech Co., Ltd
6.1.1 Company profile
6.1.2 Financial results in 2006
6.1.3 Prospect
6.2 China Rare Earth Holding Limited (CRE)
6.2.1 Company profile
6.2.2 Development course
6.2.3 Operating performance in 2006
6.2.4 Prospects
6.3 Beijing Zhong Ke San Huan Hi-Tech Co., Ltd
6.3.1 Company profile
6.3.2 Financial results in 2006
6.3.3 Operating performance
6.3.4 Advantages and disadvantages
6.3.5 Development strategies
6.4 Ningbo Yunsheng Co., Ltd
6.4.1 Company profile
6.4.2 Financial results in 2006
6.4.3 Operating performance
6.4.4 Development strategies
6.5 Advanced Technology & Materials Co., Ltd (AT&M)
6.5.1 Company profile
6.5.2 Financial results in 2006
6.5.3 Development strategies
6.6 Jiangxi South Rare Earth Hi-tech Co., Ltd
6.6.1 Company profile
6.6.2 Operating performance

7 Development forecast and investment suggestions of rare earth industry
7.1 Development forecast
7.1.1 Development orientation of the industry and products
7.1.2 Forecast of the rare earth market
7.1.3 Prospect
7.2 Strategies and suggestions

Selected charts