Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
6 min of reading 
0 comments 
The global race for rare earths has gained a new chapter with China’s strategy of training specialists from university, connecting education, laboratories, and industry to maintain an advantage in a chain essential to modern technology.
While the United States, Europe, and other countries rush to find new rare earth mines, China has advanced to an even more strategic stage: training specialists to master the processing, refining, and manufacturing of components that drive modern industry.
The global race for rare earths is no longer just a race for hidden mines underground. In China, it also takes place within universities, laboratories, and technical centers that prepare a new generation of engineers to work with the minerals used in electric cars, wind turbines, airplanes, military radars, smartphones, and high-tech equipment.
According to information published by Reuters, the Asian country has built an educational structure specifically focused on rare earths, with universities, laboratories, and programs dedicated to training specialists in these elements considered critical for the economy and national security.
-
Hong Kong ‘swallows’ 2.45 billion liters of sewage per day in tunnels 163 meters deep, with giant pumps, compact tanks, and ships that transport 1,200 tons of sludge to be converted into energy.
-
Scientists discover that the Moon underwent an explosion so devastating that it would take detonating 130 of Earth’s nuclear arsenals to reproduce the force that created its gigantic lunar canyons in just a few minutes.
-
China ‘decrees’ the end of diesel: new maritime engine of 1,953 tons and 64,500 kW runs on more than 95% methanol, uses 5G technology, and could forever change the giant 16,000-container ships
-
Cold air mass advances through the Atlantic, drops temperatures in the Southeast, and may even surprise the Northeast with heavy rain in Bahia and minimums below 10ºC in the interior.
China trains hundreds of students per year in rare earths and transforms universities into part of the industrial strategy
China did not limit itself to controlling mines or refineries. The country created an ecosystem that unites classrooms, laboratories, research centers, companies, and industrial plants.
According to a survey cited by Reuters, there are at least 11 Chinese universities and technical colleges training students in areas related to rare earths. Together, these institutions enroll more than 500 students per year in programs related to the sector.
Additionally, 41 laboratories and institutes dedicated to the study of these minerals have been identified in the country, many of them located near mining regions and industrial hubs.
This detail helps explain why China has managed to turn rare earths into a strategic advantage. While other countries try to regain productive capacity, Beijing trains professionals who understand the entire chain: from extraction to refining, from chemical separation to the manufacturing of permanent magnets.
Chinese dominance is not only in the mines but in the accumulated knowledge to transform ore into technology
Rare earths are a group of 17 chemical elements used in technologies essential for the modern economy. Despite the name, they are not necessarily rare in nature. The problem is another: separating, refining, and transforming these elements into useful materials requires technical knowledge, industrial infrastructure, and complex chemical processes.
Elements like neodymium and praseodymium are used in the manufacture of high-performance magnets, essential for electric car motors, wind turbines, electronic equipment, and military applications.
The great difficulty lies in processing. Rare earths often appear mixed in the ore, and their elements have very similar chemical properties. Separating each of them requires stages with acids, bases, solvents, and specialized equipment.
Therefore, simply having a deposit does not guarantee control of the chain. The real power lies in knowing how to transform raw ore into high-value technological components.
And it is precisely at this point that China has built its greatest advantage.
In Baotou, students learn near the factories that refine the minerals used in electric cars and turbines
One of the symbols of this strategy is in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, a region known as one of the main Chinese centers for rare earths.
There, young people study in institutions like the Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology and have direct contact with subjects related to chemistry, materials, mining, and rare earth processing. A few kilometers away, refineries and companies in the sector transform minerals into materials used by the global industry.
This proximity between university and factory allows students to learn not only the theory but also the industrial reality of the chain.
In some programs, students have access to classes, laboratories, and projects connected to companies. The goal is to train professionals capable of directly working in the most sensitive stages of the sector.
Meanwhile, Western countries are trying to rebuild a technical base that was lost over decades of dependence on China.
Jiangxi created a rare earth engineering course and strengthens training for an area considered strategic
Another example comes from the Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, which has a specific program in rare earth engineering.
The university treats the subject as part of China’s national strategy to strengthen the supply chain of these minerals. The proposal is to train talents to work in resources considered strategic, connecting research, industry, and technological development.
According to Reuters, a new class with 70 students was created to study areas such as processing, metallurgy, magnetic materials, and industrial applications.
This model shows how China views the sector: not just as mining, but as a complete chain of knowledge, technology, and production.
China produces more than 90% of processed rare earths and magnets used by the global industry
The Chinese dominance is impressive by the numbers. The country accounts for more than 90% of processed rare earths and rare earth magnets produced worldwide.
These magnets are small pieces but essential for giant technologies. They appear in electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, medical equipment, drones, fighter jets, military radars, smartphones, and industrial systems.
In other words, a disruption in the supply of these components can affect everything from electric car manufacturers to military equipment producers.
This dependency has become a strategic concern for the United States, Europe, and Japan, which are trying to reduce exposure to the Chinese supply chain.
But the challenge is greater than just opening new mines. Without specialists, laboratories, and processing capacity, the ore may continue to lack industrial value.
While the West Seeks Mines, Beijing Trains People to Control the Entire Chain
The main difference between China and the West lies in the preparation time.
For years, Western companies and governments outsourced an important part of the rare earth supply chain to China, mainly due to the environmental and industrial costs of processing. The result was the loss of factories, technical knowledge, and specialized labor.
Now, as the demand for electric cars, turbines, and military technologies grows, these countries are trying to rebuild a chain that cannot be assembled overnight.
China, on the other hand, invested in universities, technical programs, laboratories, and companies connected to the sector. This created a base of specialists that is difficult to quickly replicate.
The competition, therefore, is not just for mineral reserves. It is also for engineers, chemists, metallurgists, technicians, and researchers capable of transforming rare earths into strategic products.
Brazil Enters the Competition with Reserves and Projects, but Still Needs to Advance in Refining and Technology
Brazil also appears in this scenario. The country has rare earth reserves and projects under development, especially in Minas Gerais.
Foreign and national companies are studying ways to explore critical minerals in Brazilian territory, targeting buyers in the United States and Europe. But the major challenge remains the same: advancing beyond mining.
To truly compete, Brazil would need to develop capabilities in separation, refining, applied research, and specialist training.
In other words, it’s not enough to have the ore. It’s necessary to master the stage that transforms this ore into technology.
This is exactly the point where China has built its leadership.
The New Rare Earth Race Will Be Won by Those Who Train Specialists, Not Just by Those Who Find Mines
The global race for rare earths shows an important shift in the world economic competition. Countries that once only looked at oil, gas, and traditional metals now treat critical minerals as a matter of national security.
Electric cars, wind turbines, satellites, radars, drones, airplanes, and modern weapons depend on these elements.
But the Chinese lesson is clear: control of the chain does not start just at the mine. It also starts at the university.
While part of the world tries to ensure access to the mineral, China is forming a generation of specialists to control the processing, refining, and manufacturing of the most strategic components.
In the end, the question is no longer just who has rare earths underground.
The real competition now is who knows how to transform them into technology.
Be the first to react!