South Africa’s International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) has proposed expanding the country’s automotive incentive framework to include minerals used in electric-vehicle battery manufacturing, supporting deeper localisation of the domestic automotive and battery-material supply chains. Under the proposal, the existing list of eligible standard materials including aluminium, steel and platinum-group metals would be expanded to cover lithium, graphite, cobalt, copper, iron and rare earths. Eligible materials would need to originate from member states of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) or Southern African Development Community (SADC). The proposed framework would recognise 50% of the value of qualifying EV battery materials as local content, potentially improving producers’ eligibility for automotive-sector incentives. The policy aligns with the South African Automotive Master Plan 2035, which aims to increase vehicle production, local content and investment as the industry transitions toward electric mobility. Stakeholders were given four weeks from the notice date to submit comments, meaning the final scope and implementation schedule remain subject to consultation. SMM comments: The proposal represents a demand-side approach to developing Africa’s battery supply chain, contrasting with Zimbabwe’s supply side policy of restricting concentrate exports to force domestic processing. If implemented, South Africa could emerge as a regional battery material processing or manufacturing hub sourcing feedstock from neighbouring SADC producers, including Zimbabwe and Namibia. However, the near-term impact on regional lithium trade flows is likely to be limited. Major Zimbabwean lithium assets including Arcadia, Bikita and Sabi Star are controlled by Chinese companies with established China-linked processing and offtake arrangements. It also remains unclear whether spodumene concentrate would qualify directly as an eligible battery material or whether further conversion into lithium sulphate, carbonate or hydroxide would be required. The final rules should therefore be monitored alongside Zimbabwe’s planned January 2027 lithium concentrate export deadline, as the two policies could influence future investment and trade flows within Southern Africa.

Rajasthan has become the first Indian state to issue an exploration licence for a rare earth elements (REE) block under the country's new exploration licensing framework for critical minerals. The licence covers a block spanning the Balotra and Jodhpur districts, where geological surveys have identified potential REE resources. The move marks a milestone in India's efforts to accelerate domestic critical mineral exploration, strengthen supply chain security and reduce reliance on imported rare earth materials.

On July 28, China Rare Earth Group held its 2026 mid-year science and technology work meeting at headquarters, systematically summarizing H1 scientific and technological innovation work and comprehensively deploying key tasks for H2. The meeting noted that the Group's scientific and technological innovation work made steady progress in H1, closely focused on the core mission of serving national strategic security, and achieved positive progress in areas such as research system construction, key technology breakthroughs, innovation platform establishment, and key project layout. The innovation landscape shifted from "a single flower blooming" to "a hundred flowers in full bloom."

On July 24, the Hangzhou sub-competition of the “Rare Earth Leads the Future, Innovation Wins in Lucheng” Baotou Rare Earth Future Industry Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition was held. The competition was hosted by the Baotou Municipal Government and organized by the Office of the Talent Work Leading Group of the Municipal Party Committee, the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, the Administrative Committee of the Rare Earth High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, and other units, aiming to attract talents and promote innovation through the competition and to foster deep integration between Baotou’s rare earth industry and the scientific and innovation resources of the Yangtze River Delta. The competition attracted numerous universities and research institutes, innovation teams, and technology enterprises from the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Beijing, and other regions to compete on the same stage.

Li Yiren, Vice President of the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) and President of the Metallurgical Industry Sub-Council of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), introduced that China leads the world in rare earth reserves, capacity, and separation and purification technologies. Applying high-abundance rare earth elements such as lanthanum and cerium to steel materials can not only diversify and efficiently utilize China’s advantageous rare earth resources, but also drive the transformation and upgrading of the steel industry, achieving the synergistic development goal of “rare earth + steel” for enhanced efficiency.

China Northern Rare Earth held the H1 2026 Business Operations Analysis Meeting, at which it comprehensively analyzed and summarized its H1 production and operation performance, and systematically planned and deployed key tasks for H2. At the meeting, the economic operation of China Northern Rare Earth and its subsidiaries from January to June was reported, and key tasks for the next phase were studied and deployed. Company leaders and relevant departments attending the meeting put forward specific requirements for the subsidiaries to further strengthen business management.

Recently, China Machinery Industry Federation and China Rare Earth Industry Association held a discussion meeting. At the meeting, the two sides respectively introduced the operational dynamics of their respective industries. China Machinery Industry Federation pointed out that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the number of enterprises above designated size in the machinery industry increased by nearly 50%, and the trade surplus accounted for nearly 60% of the country's total trade surplus in goods, but it still faced challenges in basic parts, green transformation, and coping with international trade frictions. The China Rare Earth Industry Association focused on explaining the strategic landscape of China's rare earth resources—light rare earth needs to expand its applications, heavy rare earth has irreplaceable strategic value, and it directly confronted the impact of raw material price fluctuations on downstream applications.

The 28th Annual Meeting of the China Association for Science and Technology featured a specialized forum on "Materials for Key Components in High-End Equipment" in Hohhot. Hosted by the China Association for Science and Technology, the forum was co-organized by the Chinese Society of Rare Earths, the Chinese Society for Metals, the Inner Mongolia Association for Science and Technology, the Inner Mongolia Society of Rare Earths, Inner Mongolia University, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, and China Northern Rare Earth (Group) High-Tech Co., Ltd. Aligned with the national strategic layout for the new materials industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the forum brought together academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering in the field of rare earth materials, experts from universities and research institutes, and leaders from industry leaders. Discussions focused closely on regional industrial realities and development needs, exploring pathways for advancing rare earth new materials and their cutting-edge applications.

Recently, China Northern Rare Earth successfully built and put into operation a demonstration line for mass-producing rare earth giant magnetostrictive materials, solving the challenge of mass-producing high-end rare earth giant magnetostrictive materials in one stroke, and helping the rare earth industry advance from traditional raw material supply to high-end core application fields such as aerospace, deep-sea exploration, and precision braking.

GRIAM (600206.SH) announced that the company plans to transfer its 45% stake in GRINM Rare Earth and 51% stake in GRINM Guojinghui to its controlling shareholder, China GRINM Group Corporation Limited, by way of a non-public agreement, with the corresponding transfer prices of the two assets at 454 million yuan and 243 million yuan, respectively.