According to rareearthexchanges.com, Xi Jinping called for advanced manufacturing to become ‘bigger and stronger’ at the September 16–17 National Advanced Manufacturing Conference in Beijing — a directive that anchors China’s industrial policy in technological autonomy and supply-chain control.
Core Policy Framework: 自主可控 (zìzhǔ kěkòng)
The Chinese government’s guiding principle — 自主可控, translated officially as ‘self-supporting and risk-resilient’ but more precisely meaning ‘autonomous and controllable’ — defines the strategic objective for industrial chains. This phrase signals a deliberate shift beyond import substitution toward end-to-end sovereignty in design, production, and integration. As the source states, Xi explicitly paired high-quality development with high-level security, embedding supply-chain resilience directly into national strategy.
At the same conference, Premier Li Qiang directed officials to prioritize next-generation intelligent manufacturing and the ‘AI + manufacturing‘ initiative. His instructions included scaling domestic high-end technologies, building AI-enabled factories, deploying smart hardware and software, accelerating commercialization of research, and forming advanced-manufacturing clusters — all concrete operational pillars under the broader framework.
Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing reinforced implementation urgency by calling for deeper execution of programs targeting key industrial chains. According to the report, this reflects coordinated action across multiple institutions: the State Council, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.
Rare Earths Within the Ecosystem Architecture
Though rare earths are not explicitly named in Xi’s September 2024 speech, the policy framework maps directly onto their strategic function. Rare earths feed magnets; magnets feed motors; motors feed EVs, robotics, aerospace, industrial equipment, and defense systems. The source stresses that Beijing is constructing an integrated system linking strategic inputs — like rare earth oxides and alloys — with advanced downstream manufacturing.
The Western takeaway, per the report, is stark: ‘a mine alone is not a supply-chain strategy without integrated downstream manufacturing ecosystems.’ Separation without metals, metals without magnets, or magnets without qualified customers yields isolated assets — not an industrial ecosystem. This ecosystem logic applies equally to September 2024 policy timing and the structural role of rare earths in AI-driven factories.
Reuters independently confirmed the central policy directives, while the underlying report originated with Xinhua News Agency and was republished by the China Rare Earth Industry Association — underscoring its status as official Chinese policy communication.
Governance Structure and Implementation Channels
The source identifies clear institutional roles: the Communist Party of China and Xi Jinping set the national industrial and supply-chain strategy; the State Council and Premier Li Qiang oversee advanced-manufacturing implementation; Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing leads key industrial-chain programs; the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology handles manufacturing and industrial technology policy; the National Development and Reform Commission manages economic planning, industrial policy, and investment; and SASAC supervises centrally administered state-owned enterprises.
These entities collectively execute the ‘AI + manufacturing‘ mandate — not as a pilot project but as a strategic directive telling ministries, financial institutions, provincial governments, and manufacturers where Beijing wants the entire system moving. That distinction, according to the report, makes it more consequential, not less.
Source: rareearthexchanges.com
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
