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MIIT Inspects Rare Earth Enterprises in Multiple Provinces

From September 27 to October 13, the Department of Raw Materials Industry (Rare Earth Office) under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), in collaboration with the Association Of China Rare Earth Industry, organized experts to inspect and investigate some rare earth enterprises in Henan and Jiangsu, etc. They learned about the raw materials procurement, production and sales condition of the enterprises meeting the requirements of the Comprehensive Resource Utilization Catalogue, and listened to local governments' and enterprises' views on protecting rare earth and strengthening local supervision. The inspection showed that some enterprises are processing mineral products in the name of "resource utilization" and their environmental facilities fail to meet the standards. The inspection team has required local industrial authorities to handle them as soon as possible according to law and properly conduct daily supervision.

Since December 2016, the special action on cracking down illegal rare earth activities, co-organized by 8 MIIT departments, has been gradually implemented nationwide. Recently, the Sichuan Provincial Special Inspection Team reviewed the special action on cracking down illegal rare earth activities among rare earth mining, smelting, separation and trade enterprises in Leshan City and Liangshan Prefecture. The Inspection Team carried out an on-site inspection with a focus on the production activities exceeding the mandatory plan in 2016 and the control over total production and operations from January to August. The Inspection Team required local governments to strengthen the daily supervision of rare earth industry. Meanwhile, in order to further strengthen production and operations management of the rare earth industry, resolutely crack down on illegal rare earth activities, and promote the sustained and healthy development of rare earth industry, Jiangxi Province has recently issued a notice on further strengthening rare earth production and operations management.

In February 2017, seven ministries including the Ministry of Commerce jointly issued the Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Establishment of an Important Product Information Traceability Systems. The product traceability system, used in combination with special rare earth invoices, will provide a powerful weapon for cracking down on illegal rare earth activities. The continuous introduction and implementation of policies has provided a regulatory basis for the supply-side reform.

3.125 million tons of aluminum capacity need to be further cut during the heating season if calculated according to the latest news. In addition to the nearly 3.5 million tons of illegal capacity that has already been shut down, as high as 6.625 million tons of aluminum capacity will be shut down. Considering that