A worker unloads rare earths along the Yangtze River's banks in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on May 9. Photo: IC

China will release rare earths mining rights through an orderly process, an official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said at an industry forum on Monday, Shanghai Security News reported.

Chang Guowu, an official from the MIIT said that China will bolster exploration of the Bayan Obo mine in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, as well as a continued focus on medium and heavy rare-earth resources aimed at improving the supply of rare-earth products.

Chang noted that China is rich in rare earth resources and has a complete industrial system to facilitate extraction and processing. However, China still has shortcomings in the green development of rare earth resources, key technological innovation, and high-end product application.

 "The whole industry must work together to keep the price of rare-earth products within a reasonable range, expand the scale of rare-earth applications, and promote the coordinated development of upstream and downstream industries," Chang said.

From January to November, China's output of rare-earth materials totaled 191,000 tons, a year-on-year increase of 20.5 percent, according to the Rare Earth Industry Association.