90% of rare earths are controlled by China.

Omissions

• The 90% figure refers specifically to separation and refining; China's share of mined rare earth production is about 60-69%, and of reserves roughly half.
• The claim does not specify whether it refers to mining, refining, magnet production (where China's share is around 94%) or reserves, so the '90% of rare earths' phrasing conflates different stages of the supply chain.
• No source was cited by the MEP; the figure is consistent with IEA estimates published before the session date (2025).

Sources

• PrimaryInternational Energy Agency (IEA) — commentary 'With new export controls on critical minerals, supply concentration risks become reality'"China's dominance is even greater in the separation and refining stages, representing about 91% of global production, with Malaysia a distant..."
• PrimaryInternational Energy Agency (IEA) — news release on rare earth supply chain risks"Today, China accounts for around 60% of global mined production of magnet rare earths, while its share of refining is above 90%."
• PrimaryIEA — Rare Earth Elements report, Executive summary"In 2024, the People's Republic of China (hereafter, "China") accounted for 60% of global mined production of magnet rare earths. For refining, the level of..."
• SecondaryChina Briefing — China's Rare Earth Elements: What Businesses Need to Know"China accounted for 69.2 percent of the world's total REE mine production in 2024"