Political theatre on critical minerals exports highlights value of Victory’s Heavy Rare Earths

The reported “easing” of China’s crippling export restrictions of critical minerals is a carefully staged piece of political theatre designed to suggest compromise, while in reality the most critical minerals remain weaponised under heavy export restrictions, according to Victory Metals CEO Brendan Clark.

Mr Clark said the widely reported compromise by President Xi overnight represents yet another example of China’s manipulation of the rare earths market. He said investors and policymakers must understand “not all rare earths are rare” and that China still had a stranglehold on the ones that matter.

“The bulk of what has been exempted or loosened today are elements with little strategic importance. What truly matters for advanced technologies, defence systems, and global supply chains are the heavy rare earths – yttrium, dysprosium, terbium – along with critical associated minerals such as scandium,” Mr Clark said.

“What has not been reported is that these all remain tightly restricted under China’s export regime and will continue to be wielded as geopolitical leverage.”

Mr Clark, who has just returned from meetings with investors in the United States, said the past few weeks had underscored the strategic significance of Australia’s reserves of these resources. Victory Metals’ North Stanmore Project in Western Australia hosts some of the highest heavy rare earth ratios globally, including strategic supplies of the very elements China will not freely release.

“It is clear from my meetings with investors around the world is that Australia is increasingly being seen as the long-term reliable partner for the Western world offering an emerging, reliable, and sovereign alternative to China’s dominance.

“The North Stanmore project is designed to deliver these strategic minerals at scale, giving Australia’s global allies in defence, aerospace, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing sectors the secure supply chains they urgently require, and building a sustainable new resources industry for Australia.

“Investors and policy makers need to look beyond China’s very effective political theatre. The West must stop relying on manipulated Chinese narratives and start building sovereign supply chains. Victory Metals is perfectly placed to be part of that global solution because the minerals we host – dysprosium, terbium, yttrium, scandium – are exactly those elements that matter most, and that will continue to be under Chinese control.

“Victory Metals reaffirms its commitment to advancing North Stanmore as one of the world’s largest clay-hosted heavy rare earth discoveries, providing Western-aligned partners with secure, sustainable, and long-term supply,” he said.