Rare Earth Elements Appear in TV Cartoons... China Expands Resource Security Efforts

As China expands its efforts to secure resource security, rare earth elements have become a major theme even in children's TV animations, drawing attention.

According to China's state-run Global Times (GT) on the 21st, the Ministry of State Security of China released a new series of the animation "Secret Special Investigation Department" related to national security on its social networking service (SNS) WeChat account. "Secret Special Investigation Department" is an animation adapted from real cases of counter-espionage operations conducted on the front lines with China's national security as the core theme.

(Photo by Ministry of State Security WeChat)

The newly released episode depicts the process of solving a case where mineral resources were illegally diverted under the pretext of topographical surveying for real estate development. The background featured is the Xishan Mine, which was inspired by an actual corruption case involving collusion between some local mine owners and high-ranking officials in the past. GT emphasized, "This comic shows that the protection of key mineral resources is an important part of national security, and that bribery and espionage activities occur in the competition over rare earth minerals."

Li Wei, a researcher at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told GT, "This animation reveals the diversity and complexity involved in maintaining national security." Li Baiyang, an associate professor of informatics at Nanjing University, introduced, "This mining area represents China's actual rare earth mineral resources," adding, "Rare earths, known as 'industrial gold,' are core research and development materials for advanced military equipment, new energy, high-performance motors, and cutting-edge new materials."

Earlier, on December 21 last year, China announced a ban on the export of rare earth processing technology citing national security reasons. According to the General Administration of Customs of China, China exported 52,307 tons of rare earths last year, an increase of 7.3% compared to the previous year. However, in December, exports decreased by 20.0% year-on-year and 18.24% month-on-month, showing a trend of reduction. Based on imports, last year saw 175,853 tons, a sharp increase of 44.8% year-on-year, and in December, 16,381 tons, a 45.0% surge.

Professor Li Baiyang told GT, "As Sino-US trade frictions intensify and global geopolitical tensions escalate, competition over rare earths has expanded to the level of national security," pointing out, "For a long time, the US, Japan, and the EU have coveted China's rare earth mineral resources and tried to dominate the industrial chain." He continued, "To achieve these goals, infiltration, bribery, and espionage activities have been mobilized," criticizing, "Illegal surveying and map-making featured in this animation are typical methods used by spies."