China Baotou Rare Earth Industry Forum has been held successfully for 3 years. International comprehensive forum will be held in Baotou Shangri-La Hotel for the first time from August 8 to August 10 this year. Theme of the forum is Development and Win-Win of Rare Earth New Materials Industry. At the appointed time, .more than 100 foreign guests from 40 countries such as Britain, France, US and Japan will participate in the conference. 20 domestic and overseas guest speakers and many academicians of Chinese Academy of Science and Chinese Academy of Engineering will attend the conference. It is estimated that there will be 600 participants. The agenda of the forum includes forum opening ceremony, projects signing meeting, keynote speeches, “Rare Earth Light” literary fireworks show, technical visit, etc. Meanwhile, 2012 China Baotou International Rare Earth Industry Exhibition will be held in Baotou International Exhibition Center. It will mainly exhibit global rare earth products, new materials, technological achievements of rare earth, and relevant product equipments. More than 150 companies will attend the exhibition. Exhibition area will be 6000㎡. It will become the largest international professional exhibition in rare earth industry.

       Gan Yong (Chairman of the forum, vice-president of Chinese Academy of Engineering, chairman of Chinese Rare Earth Industry Association, and direct-general of Chinese Society of Rare Earth) pointed out that 80% of Chinese rare earth resources concentrate in Baotou. As Chinese even world’s rare earth resource area and industry gathering place, Baotou has important influence on international rare earth fields. Especially, Baotou owns only state-level high-tech zone named for rare earth resource with great advantage developing rare earth industry. It plays a key role in driving national rare earth technology and industrial development, promoting rare earth industry chain extension, and establishing rare earth research cooperation platform. After 20 years’ development, great achievements have been made. With important rare earth industry rising and high-end rare industrial chain extending, it will become a significant factor in developing international rare earth industry. Mr. Gan hopes this forum will become an international rare earth event with international influence. 

       In the press conference, Jai Yinsong (rare earth office director of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) indicated that Baotou was an important rare earth production base with abundant resources reserves, numerous enterprises, and complete product range. Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region government and Baotou municipal government pay high attention to rare earth industry development and did a lot of work to strengthen industry management, drive application industry development, and extend industrial chain. Recently, Baotou has improved cooperation exchange among domestic rare earth companies and promoted national rare earth industry development by hosting China Baotou Rare Earth Industry Forum and Rare Earth Industry Exhibition. Currently, the forum has been held successfully for 3 times. In order to expand influence of forum, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will be invited as forum supporter this time. In the meantime, for deepening mutual understanding, advocating the work of Chinese government to protect resource and environment, and boosting international technological exchange and cooperation, sponsors hopes that this forum will become a source for the world to understand China and a exchange and cooperation platform of rare earth industry between China and the world.

       Woo Hiyoshi (secretary-general of the forum, vice director of general office of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region government) stated that rare earth was a kind of strategic resource. It is an indispensible versatile raw material with for many high-tech industries, which can vary the functional material types of rare earth. A large-scale high-tech industry cluster is taking shape. Rare earth industry has a broad market prospect and great strategic significance. The three previous forums have succeeded and promoted Inner Mongolia rare earth industry development greatly. This year, the Fourth China Baotou Rare Earth Industry (International) Forum and 2012 China Baotou International Rare Earth Industry Exhibition will be held in Baotou. Theme of this forum is Development and Win-Win of Rare Earth New Materials Industry. It is combined with current situation of transformation development and the trend of cultivating strategic new rising industry closely. It has significant meaning and far-reaching influence.

        Yang Ruiping (vice secretary-general of the forum, vice director of economy and information committee of Inner Mongolian Autonomous region, director of rare earth office) indicated that the Fourth China Baotou Rare Earth Industry (International) Forum would have greater influence than the three previous forums, because it would be held under the condition of rapid rare earth industry development. As an international and comprehensive forum, its theme would be Development and Win-Win of Rare Earth New Materials Industry. It would carry out exchange and cooperation at a deeper field and a higher level. It has been found that good win-win effect has been achieved by establishing exchange platform of rare earth research, production and application, constantly expanding cooperation space and channel, and getting strong innovation and creativity. We believe that with the support of national related ministries and autonomous region government, this forum will have new features. It will exert its influence in improving rare earth development and application level, exploring better ways for expediting rare earth key application technology research and technological breakthrough transformation, and promoting sustained, rapid and sound development of national rare earth industry.

        Sun Weidong (vice president of the forum, deputy secretary and mayor of Baotou city) stated that China Baotou Rare Earth Industry Forum has been held successfully for three times and become an important platform for academic exchanges and economic cooperation in rare earth fields. We will focus on theme Development and Win-Win of Rare Earth New Materials Industry and conduct further discussion. We will hold 2012 China Baotou International Rare Earth Industry Exhibition, begin cooperation projects extensively, accelerate innovation pace, expand application fields and space of rare earth resource, and further advance development levels of rare earth industry. We sincerely hope people of all circles to participate in this forum, to exert their advantages fully, to give precious advice for national rare earth industrial development and to create new situation with full communication and cooperation. We will make efforts to preparatory work for forum and try to make the forum a success with considerate organization and good service.

         Ren Fu (secretary-general of the forum, (deputy secretary of party working committee of Baotou rare earth high-tech zone, director of management committee) introduced general situation of rare earth high-tech zone and development condition of rare earth industry in press conference. He stated that as only state-level high-tech zone named for rare earth resource, rare earth high-tech zone has based on resource advantages and tried to promote rare earth sustainable development, environmental protection and production application. It plays an active role in improving international influence of rare earth industry and creates a sound environment for building the World Center of Rare Earth. The first is innovation system which motivates cluster development for rare earth industry. We will build rare earth application industrial park covering 10000 mus, establish building management office for rare earth industrial park which takes charge of construction and management of the park. Besides, we plan to construct international rare earth industrial park with larger scale and higher level. It will lay the foundation for building Rare Earth Innovative Industrial Cluster. The second is transformation and upgrading which strengthens competitive edge of rare earth industry. We encourage and guide companies to increase technological innovative investment and enhance R&D power constantly through a variety of means. We will build 2 state-level, 9 autonomous region-level rare earth enterprises engineering R&D centers. In addition to that, we will set up the first rare industry technology innovation strategic alliance named for rare earth. It will effectively improve industrial technological innovative ability and international competitiveness. The third is to optimize environment and to promote comprehensive strength. Rare earth permanent magnet, hydrogen storage, polishing, luminescence, catalysis and rare earth non-ferrous alloy will be given priority to develop. Rare earth raw material, new material, terminal application products have primarily formed complete industrial chain. Currently, there are 75 rare earth enterprises in high-tech zone with 26 enterprises’ annual production value exceeding 20 million. In the process of “Double Hundred Million Project” of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, two rare earth enterprises including Baotou Steel Rare Earth Corporation and International Trade Corporation of Baotou Steel Rare Earth Corporation and rare earth industrial park have taken the lead to achieve the income exceeding ten billion Yuan. Faced new situation of rare earth industrial development, rare earth high-tech zone put forward new solution of “building 2 centers, making 3 platforms, establishing 4 bases and accomplishing 5 changes”. In other words, that is to build 2 centers of rare earth storage and technological transaction of rare earth, to make 3 platforms of policies, innovation and venture, to establish 4 bases of talents, R&D, production and export, to accomplish 5 changes from extensive to intensive, quantity to quality-oriented, traditional to modern, single to multiple, and isolated-type to open-type. Rare earth high-tech zone will also comprehensively push forward the progress of rare earth trademark registration, storage of raw materials, &D and application, production transaction, venture capital and construction of park. It will strive to achieve rare earth industrial production value of 30 billion Yuan and drive related industrial production value of 70 billion Yuan before the end of12^th Five-Year Plan.

           Finally, Ren Fu indicated that with the support of relevant departments and participation of numerous enterprises and the concern of news media, they would make the Fourth China Baotou Rare Earth Industry (International) Forum and 2012 China Baotou International Rare Earth Industry Exhibition a rare earth industrial international event with high-specification, large-scale, wide-range, plenty of activities and wide participation of insiders. It will greatly influence the development of domestic and overseas rare earth industry.