China and Malaysia are in preliminary talks to set up a rare earths refinery, with Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional expected to partner with a Chinese state-owned enterprise, according to sources.
Infor comes via a Reuters report. In brief:
The deal would represent a major policy shift for Beijing, which has long banned the export of rare earth processing technology to protect its dominance. In exchange, China is seeking access to Malaysia’s estimated 16.1 million tonnes of rare earth reserves.
If realised, the project would allow Malaysia to become one of the few countries with both Chinese and non-Chinese processing technology. But progress faces hurdles, including doubts over supply capacity, environmental and regulatory concerns, and multiple approvals at both state and federal levels.
The talks also highlight Beijing’s effort to counter Australian rival Lynas, which already operates a processing plant in Malaysia. A refinery capable of handling both light and heavy rare earths would further boost Malaysia’s role in the global supply chain at a time when manufacturers are scrambling to secure alternative sources following Chinese export curbs.
