Mainland China's latest ban to intensify diversification of rare earth magnet supply chain

Ban on export of technology to make REE magnets by mainland China will further intensify the efforts by countries, as well as automakers to develop a secure end to end REE supply chain and increase investment to develop REE magnet production facilities.

1. What has been banned by Mainland China? On December 21, 2023, mainland China imposed a ban on the export of rare earth magnet-making technology. The country’s Ministry of Commerce released a revised version of the Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited and Restricted from Export, which includes the ban on export of technology used for making rare earth magnets. As per the country, the revised ban and regulations are implemented with the intent to safeguard its national security and public interest. The list already includes export bans on technologies used in the refining of rare earth metals and on in-situ leaching technologies for mining.