Current situation, main problems, and countermeasure suggestions for the development of the rare earth industry in Inner Mongolia

Rare earths are key strategic resources, and their industrial development is crucial to national core competitiveness. Leveraging its world-leading rare earth reserves, Inner Mongolia has established a large-scale industrial system with significant clustering effects, making progress in green, low-carbon technologies and the research and development of key materials. However, while possessing a global scale advantage, the industry faces triple deep-seated contradictions: pressure between resource development and ecological protection, the structural dilemma of vast production capacity versus “low-end locking” in the value chain, and gaps between policy objectives and implementation effectiveness. To address these challenges, this paper constructs a three-dimensional governance framework of “technological innovation-industrial transformation-institutional synergy” and proposes systematic countermeasures. Specifically: in the technology-ecology dimension, it is crucial to strengthen technological breakthroughs in tailings resource utilization and implement full life-cycle environmental supervision to build a green, low-carbon, circular system. In the industry-market dimension, the focus should be on breakthroughs in key materials and the expansion of application scenarios to drive the entire industrial chain towards high-value-added segments. In the institution-governance dimension, there is an urgent need to improve laws, regulations, and cross-departmental coordination mechanisms to enhance the precision and synergy of policy implementation. This research aims to provide a theoretical explanation and practical pathway for transforming Inner Mongolia’s rare earth industry from “resource advantage” to “industrial advantage” and “competitive advantage”, also offering insights for the sustainable development of resource-rich regions globally.