Latest / China Economy with Fexingo: Beijing's Policies, Trade, and Asia-Pacific Markets
Why China Is Stockpiling Rare Earths Beyond Its Borders
Episode 61 of China Economy with Fexingo examines why Chinese companies are quietly buying rare earth mining assets in Africa and South America, even as domestic production dominates global supply. Lucas and Luna unpack a specific deal — a $1.2 billion acquisition of a Burundian rare earth project by a state-backed Chinese consortium — and why it signals Beijing's long-term strategy to reduce dependency on its own dwindling reserves. They connect this to recent export control tweaks and the yuan's slide past 6.76 per dollar. If you've ever wondered why rare earths matter beyond…
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