New study finds China lagging behind Japan and the US in key patents for advanced rare earth technologies
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenChao Kongin BeijingPublished: 6:00pm, 5 Jul 2026China’s dominance in rare earth mining, refining and exports has long been viewed as a strategic advantage.But a new study by Chinese researchers argues that the country’s rare earth industry has its own critical weakness.“China is not in a leading position in mastering key core technologies in certain fields,” the researchers wrote in the paper.
The researchers, from the University of Science and Technology of China, concluded that key patents underpinning advanced rare earth functional materials remained largely controlled by Japan and the United States.
