China's dominance in rare earth industry has key structural weakness as US, Japan hold core patents: Study

Despite controlling the majority of global rare earth mining and processing, China's dominance faces a significant structural weakness. A recent study reveals that core patents for advanced rare earth functional materials, crucial for high-tech applications, are largely held by the US and Japan. This suggests China's upstream advantage hasn't translated into leadership in higher-value downstream technologies, prompting calls for improved innovation and collaboration.