Highlights

• Northern Rare Earth ranks 7th in the Metallurgy & Nonferrous Metals category with a brand value of ¥17.145 billion.
• China controls over 80% of global rare earth processing, strategically building brand trust and global recognition.
• Northern Rare Earth holds 170 registered trademarks.
• Northern Rare Earth leverages brands like Baiyun Ebo to establish industrial credibility.

In a high-profile endorsement of China’s rare earth industrial strategy, Northern Rare Earth (NRE), the flagship subsidiary of Baogang Group, has advanced two positions to rank 7th in the “Metallurgy & Nonferrous Metals” category of the 2025 China Brand Value Index. The company’s brand strength score reached 880, with a calculated brand value of ¥17.145 billion (~ USD 2.37 billion), according to a joint evaluation by the China Brand Construction Promotion Association and other state-backed institutions.

The index, now in its twelfth year, assessed over 1,000 leading Chinese companies across sectors. NRE’s rise in the rankings reflects Beijing’s deliberate strategy to elevate domestic industrial brands to global prominence, particularly in strategic industries like rare earths, where China still dominates over 80% of global processing. While Western nations continue to debate the branding relevance of raw materials, China is treating rare earths not just as commodities, but as _marketable, trusted, and premium-labeled industrial inputs_—a long-term move to secure downstream influence in global supply chains.

NRE has steadily expanded its brand portfolio, now holding 170 registered trademarks (including 14 international ones). The “Baiyun Ebo” brand, named after China’s largest REE deposit, has become a cornerstone of NRE’s strategy, earning recognition as a “China Famous Trademark” and maintaining its spot on Inner Mongolia’s “Top 100 Brands” list for seven consecutive years. Other brands like “Wuhua” and “Panda” are also gaining traction domestically and abroad, positioning NRE as a rare earth brand ambassador for China Inc.

Some Considerations

Northern Rare Earth’s branding success highlights a crucial gap in Western rare earth industrial planning: no counterpart exists with comparable global brand recognition. While Western companies often prioritize engineering specs and ESG credentials, China purports, via state-owned company press releases, to invest heavily in brand trust, global certification, and value-added perception for its rare earth products.

According to a Boagang Group press entry (opens in a new tab), this has direct downstream implications. OEMs and defense contractors sourcing rare earths may increasingly see Chinese-origin material as not only cheaper and more available but also more reputationally secure. On the other hand, the West, particularly America, is starting to mobilize in mining, processing, and downstream magnet production. But it's still early days.

Source: Baogang Daily (translated); Rare Earth Exchanges editorial analysis