Rare-earth firms urged to upgrade technology

New government policies expected to rejuvenate sector over longer term

The government will offer subsidies to producers of rare earths to encourage them to improve their technology levels and use environmentally friendly means of extraction, a notice said on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a circular outlining the subsidies. These include one-time awards to local governments that have completed supervisory and monitoring systems for rare earth exploration.