Highlights

• China Rare Earth Group and CAS Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering are expanding collaboration on platform-building, commercialization, and talent exchange to accelerate rare earth technology innovation.
• The partnership signals China's strategic shift beyond extraction toward downstream rare earth materials performance, applications, and faster tech transfer to strengthen pricing power.
• For the West, this cooperation underscores the need for sustained R&D-to-factory execution across the entire rare earth supply chain, not just upstream mining projects.

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On February 5, Liu Leiyun—Party Secretary and Chairman of China Rare Earth Group—met at the group’s headquarters with a delegation led by Wang Liping (opens in a new tab), Director of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (opens in a new tab). Also attending were CAS Academician Shen Baogen, China Rare Earth Group Board Secretary Yang Jie, and Zhang Jiayuan, Party Secretary of the CAS Ningbo Institute.

Wang Liping, Director of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering

Liu welcomed the delegation and thanked the Ningbo institute for its long-standing support. He outlined the group’s recent work in industrial consolidation, scientific and technological innovation, industrial upgrading, and support for local development. Liu described the Ningbo institute as a nationally strategic scientific force in rare earths and said the two sides have a deep history of cooperation. He expressed hope to expand collaboration in platform-building, broader applications, talent exchange, and commercialization of research (research outcomes), with the goal of serving national strategic needs.

Wang congratulated China Rare Earth Group on its progress, thanked the company for its trust and support, and provided an overview of the institute. He said the parties have a strong foundation and called the current moment a “strategic opportunity period” and a “golden window for cooperation.” He urged closer collaboration on key technologies and industrialization to promote high-quality development of China’s rare earth industry.

Representatives from China Rare Earth Group’s office, strategy, technology/IT, and research institute, as well as relevant departments from the CAS Ningbo institute, also participated.

Why this is a business-news item (key updates)

This signals a tighter alignment between one of China’s dominant state-owned rare-earth champions and a top-tier national materials R&D institute. The emphasis on industrial consolidation + tech innovation + commercialization suggests China is moving beyond extraction and separation to downstream materials performance, applications, and faster tech transfer—areas that translate into pricing power and strategic leverage.

Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering

What could matter for the U.S./West?

If this cooperation results in new “platforms,” accelerated commercialization, and talent pipelines, it may strengthen China’s lead in high-end rare-earth materials and components (e.g., magnet alloys, specialty materials), not just in raw oxides. For the West, this is a reminder that competing with China requires not only mining projects, but sustained R&D-to-factory execution in midstream and downstream. Rare Earth Exchanges ™continues to caution policy makers in the West on the implications of the Two Rare Earth Bases China program and its focus on the entire supply chain and innovation at the intersection of rare earth elements and industrial sectors.

Disclaimer: This item originates from state-affiliated Chinese media/entities. The claims and any implied commercial outcomes should be verified with independent sources, technical disclosures, or third-party reporting before being treated as confirmed.