Rare earth mining rights in China have just been cut in half

The Chinese government has halved the number of rare earth mining rights in the country pulling 65 permits in all, according to a report by ChinaDaily USA.

In Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, 88 mining rights for rare earth were reduced to 44, and in  southwestern province of Sichuan there are now seven mining rights rather than 18.

Chinese officials are consolidating the industry so the remaining companies can be better regulated. Larger companies can also capitalize, better controlling mine conditions.  Rare earth mines are polluting.

The US, Japan and the European Union accuse China of unfairly limiting rare earth exports. In March the three nations filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization accusing China of unfairly limiting rare earth exports.