The development strategy of rare earth industry in China needs accurate positioning of rare earth industry. The basic idea is to pay more attention to the quality of industrial development while paying attention to the development speed and scale expansion of rare earth industry. From the perspective of national strategy, the development strategy of rare earth industry should be shown in the following seven aspects.
(1) Build a systematic and stable industrial policy system and realize the integration strategy of rare earth enterprises.
Give full consideration to the comparative advantages, disadvantages and threats of China's rare earth industry, strengthen management from the aspects of industrial access, industrial organization, industrial structure, industrial layout, industrial upgrading and ecological environment, and seize the opportunity of the development, evolution and transformation of rare earth industry. Through the principle of "domestic competition and unified export", we have the right to speak on pricing and strictly restrict the export of rare earth raw materials and intermediate products.
In view of the characteristics of small scale, simple facilities and low M&A cost of most rare earth enterprises, rare earth enterprises should make full use of the advantages of products, technology and market, so as to make them develop in depth and breadth and implement the integration strategy. Accelerating the integration of rare earth enterprises, accelerating the merger and reorganization of enterprises, and cultivating a number of large enterprise groups, the integration strategy is conducive to deepening specialized division of labor and cooperation, and improving the level of deep utilization and comprehensive utilization of resources. The implementation of vertical integration strategy can enable enterprises to expand their business scope through the extension of industrial value chain; Implementing the integration strategy can enable enterprises to obtain economies of scale, reduce competitors and expand production capacity.
(two) the establishment of rare earth industry technology innovation system, improve the ability of scientific research and innovation.
The important feature of rare earth industrial chain is the fission growth of output value along the industrial chain [4]. In view of China's backward technology and lack of terminal product development capacity, the most important thing at present is to speed up the establishment of technological innovation system of rare earth industry, improve the ability of scientific research and innovation, improve the imbalance of rare earth product structure and take the road of intensive processing.
As the main body of technological innovation and product development, rare earth enterprises should combine their own production characteristics, carry out extensive and in-depth cooperation with scientific research institutions and universities in the field of rare earth functional materials and high-tech product development, and develop a number of processes and technologies with independent intellectual property rights. At the same time, it is necessary to systematically and comprehensively deploy, speed up the process of industrial application of new technologies and new processes, and put them into production as soon as possible and produce corresponding economic benefits.
(c) Promote resource industry clusters and develop industrial chains.
Industrial cluster is a phenomenon of industrial spatial agglomeration formed by the interconnection of enterprises and institutions in specific areas and fields. The establishment of rare earth industrial clusters can realize resource sharing and complementary advantages, create an innovative atmosphere, enhance regional independent research and development capabilities, transform and digest achievements, and reduce information communication costs and transaction costs among enterprises. Clustering the complete chain of rare earth production links is beneficial to the simultaneous development, transformation and production of enterprises, and improves the efficiency and coordination of production and operation. On the other hand, the introduction of industrial chain terminals will enable enterprises to quickly and comprehensively understand the market demand, and no longer blindly determine the output and product categories, thus adapting to market competition and greatly enhancing the core competitiveness of the rare earth industry.
(d) Establish a national rare earth resource strategy and a stable management and policy framework.
China's rare earth resources management has always lacked a unified, stable, serious and long-term sustainable policy framework. Industrial management involves many departments. The leading departments in different periods have different emphases and functions, and the coordination between departments has not been straightened out. The management of rare earth resources has always followed the management mechanism of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in charge of the total production index and the Ministry of Commerce in charge of the export quota [5]. At present, we should take the national Twelfth Five-Year Plan as an opportunity to clarify the strategic goal of stabilizing the national rare earth resources, straighten out and clarify the management framework of the rare earth industry, and unify the management function of this important strategic resource to a specific central department, and the relevant departments will manage it according to law within the framework of the national strategic goals. The accurate positioning of rare earth strategy at the national level is a global issue related to the development of rare earth industry.
(5) Pay equal attention to resource development and environmental protection, and strengthen legislation, supervision and management.
The concept of sustainable development requires the full and effective utilization of mineral resources in order to maximize its value and minimize the amount of waste and the impact on the environment. In view of the great harm to the environment caused by rare earth mining and smelting, the existing rare earth enterprises should take various measures, such as improving resource mining methods and developing efficient and clean production technologies, to reduce resource consumption, strengthen resource recycling and reduce "three wastes" emissions. It is necessary to take the efficient utilization and recycling of resources as the core, recover useful minerals and various wastes in the "three wastes" produced in the process of production and consumption, strengthen the construction of upstream and downstream of the industrial chain and related enterprises, develop new supporting industries, and form a closed loop from energy to intermediate products to final products.
In terms of policy, in 20 12, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine jointly promulgated the emission standards of rare earth industrial pollutants, taking the main pollutants discharged by rare earth industrial enterprises as control items, and putting forward higher requirements for the emission of "three wastes" and radioactive substances. The implementation of this standard means that the environmental protection requirements of the rare earth industry are greatly improved, which will force enterprises to upgrade their technology and buy new equipment, thus gradually eliminating enterprises with low production technology, poor equipment and high energy consumption, and at the same time raising the entry threshold of the industry.
(6) Improve export management measures and establish a rare earth resource export control system. The government should further refine the classification of rare earth export products. Rare earth resources and their products have a wide range and many kinds, so it is necessary to study each rare earth element and product type in detail according to the actual situation of rare earth mining, production and application. Those with large demand and small resources should be included in the control list and strictly protected. At the same time, according to the situation of resource reserves, technical level improvement and industrial structure adjustment, the rare earth resources listed in the list and their product types will be updated in a timely manner. In view of the indispensable position of rare earth in the national defense system and the important resources to ensure national and industrial security, the government should separate rare earth elements with military value and treat them differently. The export of rare earth products issues military licenses and non-military licenses, and different quota standards are implemented.
(seven) give play to the role of trade associations, so that the management and policy framework is relatively stable.
China's rare earth industry association has been directly sponsored by the government, lacking basic independence and representativeness, which makes its due functions unable to give full play. Therefore, the government should let go of the leading and controlling power of trade associations, give them financial and legal support, help them develop rapidly, and co-ordinate the local rare earth industry. On the one hand, it can give full play to the advantages of the association, on the other hand, it can follow the example of countries such as the United States and Japan, implement the maximum integration of domestic productivity and purchasing power, gain price advantage, and help regain the right to speak internationally.