Baotou Communist Party Elects New Leadership, Reaffirms Rare-Earth Industrial Goals Through 2035

Highlights

• Chen Zhichang was reelected Baotou party secretary on October 24, 2026, with deputies Meng Qingwei and Liu Yongxiang confirmed alongside him.
• Baotou reaffirmed Xi Jinping's 2023 directive to build China's largest rare-earth new-materials production base and a globally leading applications base.
• Golden Dragon Rare Earth is separately expanding Baotou magnet capacity by a planned 5,000 metric tons annually, reflecting continued private investment.
• No new output figures, capital commitments, or export agreements were disclosed in the four official October announcements.
• Western nations remain vulnerable downstream, lacking commercial-scale separation, metals production, and magnet manufacturing to match Baotou's integrated ecosystem.