I view the Chinese attempts to invest as vindication of taking a...

I view the Chinese attempts to invest as vindication of taking a stake in the company.

In 1992 then Premier, Deng Xiaoping stated: “Saudi Arabia has oil, but China has rare earths.”

China has long dominated the supply of rare earths to world markets, achieved by utilising its significant deposits and also with focused investment in developing the facilities to process ore into the high-grade oxides required by manufacturers throughout the world. The lack of processing facilities outside of China has meant almost all ore mined must be exported to the country for processing before it can be used by manufacturers, giving China monopolistic control over the global rare earth market.

Now the partnership between NTU and Iluka is aiming to make inroads into that dominace, hence the Chinese interest, particularly as NTU is mining the sought after Dysprosium and Terbium.