China Daily reported on May 21, 2010 that there will be a renewed effort by the Chinese government to stem the flow of illegal rare earth resources. Starting in June, the country will begin a five-month crackdown on illegal mining operations. Wang Min, a vice-minister of land and resources said that long-term monitoring programs will also be initiated. Wang went on to say that even detecting metal resources will be punishable.

China has a right to protect its resources, but with increasing control on production, tighter export restrictions and internal consolidation, the future looks bleak for international OEMs.

Companies in the defense, energy, automotive and personal electronics industries are especially exposed to rare earth supply risks. The TREM Center will bring companies from these industries together with government policy influencers to make sure that there is a responsible resource strategy.