The new move, following the ministry's effort to regulate mining orders in May, showed authorities are making preparations for unifying rare earth prices in the future and the mining plans will be used as part of the government's controlling measures.
Earlier reports said China will adopt a uniform pricing system for rare earth in the provinces of Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong and Hunan and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region to stabilize the mineral's prices and prevent over-exploitation.