Highlights

• Baogang Group's Mining Research Institute identified two new minerals:
  • Oxyplumbopyrochlore
  • Xianhua-Ce-Niobate
• The discoveries were made at the world's largest rare earth deposit, Baiyunebo.
• These are the 22nd and 24th new minerals found at Baiyunebo since 1959.
• This showcases China's progress in mineralogical research.
• The mineral discoveries signal a shift in China's innovation model:
  • Transitioning from academic-led to enterprise-driven scientific exploration

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Baogang Group’s Mining Research Institute (opens in a new tab) has announced the discovery of two newly identified minerals in China’s world-class Baiyunebo (Baiyun Ebo) deposit—Oxyplumbopyrochlore and Xianhua-Ce-Niobate. Both have been formally approved by the International Mineralogical Association’s Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (IMA-CNMNC (opens in a new tab)), marking a significant scientific milestone for China’s mineralogy and strategic resource exploration.

These discoveries represent the 22nd and 24th new minerals identified at Baiyunebo since 1959, highlighting China’s continued progress in mineralogical research and adding two more Chinese-origin minerals to the global mineralogical database.

What are these two Minerals?

Oxyplumbopyrochlore is a niobium-bearing member of the pyrochlore group, notable for its complex isomorphic substitutions. Xianhua-Ce-Niobate is an entirely new niobium rare earth mineral with a unique crystal structure and composition, expanding the known family of natural REE-niobates. According to Chinese Academy of Sciences academician Li Xianhua (opens in a new tab), “These two new minerals not only enrich the global mineralogical library but also offer new materials, knowledge, and pathways for scientific and industrial advancement. The strategic importance of niobium and rare earths is self-evident.”

Discovery Represents A Collaborative Effort

The discoveries were led by Baogang Group’s research team in collaboration with top Chinese research institutions including the Chinese Academy of Sciences and China University of Geosciences (Beijing). Yang Li and Yang Bo, both from Baogang's Mining Research Institute, were credited as the first discoverers—marking a shift from traditional academic-dominated mineral discovery toward greater enterprise-led innovation.

This milestone reflects Baogang’s integration into China’s national innovation system and its success in aligning scientific research with industrial development. Baiyunebo has become a hub of discovery, with nine new minerals found there in the past four years alone—a result of deep collaboration between academia and industry as China pursues a new round of strategic mineral exploration.

Strategic Significance—Industrial Policy Outcomes

The Baiyunebo deposit in Inner Mongolia is the largest, rare earth deposit in the world and a globally significant source of niobium, iron, and rare earth elements. The discovery of Oxyplumbopyrochlore and Xianhua-Ce-Niobate adds to China’s scientific leadership in critical mineral exploration. It underscores the strategic value of niobium and rare earths for high-tech and defense applications, including superconductors, jet engines, permanent magnets, and quantum computing materials.

Importantly, the discoveries signal a shift in China’s innovation model. Traditionally led by universities and institutes, new mineral discovery is now being driven by state-owned industrial research institutes like Baogang’s, reflecting a deeper integration of research and industrial goals in China's critical mineral supply chain.

With this move, Baogang further solidifies its dual role: both as a core supplier of rare earth and niobium resources and as a driver of upstream scientific and technological advancement. These discoveries enhance China's ability to control the full lifecycle of strategic materials—from geological mapping and mining to downstream processing and advanced manufacturing—cementing its dominance in the global rare earth economy.

Bottom Line

The discovery of two new minerals at Baiyunebo by Baogang Group marks a scientific and strategic breakthrough and the hopes of advancing China’s dominance in critical mineral innovation and bolstering its role in rare earth value-added manufacturing.  As the country intensifies its search for resource security and technological self-reliance, such findings demonstrate, according to Baogang Group’s media proclamations (opens in a new tab), China’s growing capability to lead—not follow—in the race for mineral innovation.