China controls 90% of the refining of rare earth metals.

Omissions

• Most sources describe China's share as 'nearly 90%', 'approximately 90%', or 'almost 90%' rather than a precise 90%, though this falls within standard rounding tolerance.
• China's share of rare earth mining is lower — around 70% — while its dominance is concentrated in the refining and processing stage, which is the more strategically critical segment of the supply chain.
• The IEA Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025 notes that China is the leading refiner for 19 out of 20 important strategic minerals, underscoring that its rare earth dominance is part of a broader pattern of refining concentration.
• Automatic source check: the "CONFIRMED" verdict rests on a single independent secondary source, with no primary source or independent corroboration. The claim is supported but not independently corroborated, so the verdict is set to CONFIRMED_WITH_NUANCE.

Sources

• AcademicUniversity of Michigan Journal of Economics (citing International Energy Agency, 2025)China dominating the processing stages, accounting for approximately 90% of global processing (International Energy Agency, 2025).
• AcademicSSRN / Academic Paper on China's Export ControlsChina controls 70% global rare earth mining, 90% refining.
• SecondaryRare Earth ExchangesChina controls nearly 90% of global rare earth refining capacity in 2025, including a near-monopoly on heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) like dysprosium and terbium.