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Why China Is Stockpiling Rare Earths Beyond Its Borders
Season 2
Episode 61
Published 2 weeks, 1 day ago
Description
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 trade-war headlines, or how China is hedging its position as the world's dominant processor, this episode gives you the numbers and the logic.