Brazilian Rare Earth Sales to China Tripled in First Half

(Poder360) ― Brazil’s exports of rare earth minerals to China surged in the first half of 2025, tripling the total for all of last year and signaling the Latin American nation’s growing, yet still nascent, role in the market for materials crucial to high-tech manufacturing.

Brazil exported $6.7 million worth of the minerals to China in the first six months of the year, according to a report from the Brazil-China Business Council (CEBC).

While the figure is a fraction of the $47.7 billion in total Brazilian exports to China during the same period, the sharp rise is notable given the strategic importance of rare earths, which have become a key bargaining chip in the ongoing trade disputes between Washington and Beijing.

Rare earths are a category consisting of 17 chemical elements that are irreplaceable in many advanced industries. Their most critical application is in the production of high-powered permanent magnets that retain their magnetic properties for decades. These magnets allow for the creation of smaller and lighter components than alternatives, making them essential for manufacturing electric vehicles and wind turbines.

China is the world’s largest producer of rare earths, a dominant position that gives it significant leverage in global trade. Beijing has previously used its control over the supply of these minerals in negotiations with the U.S., including discussions that led to a resolution on Washington’s restrictions on the sale of high-tech Nvidia Corp. chips to China.

Brazil’s vast reserves could position the country to become a more significant player on the international stage. The nation is home to the world’s second-largest reserve of rare earths, amounting to 21 million tons, behind only China’s 44 million tons, according to the most recent report from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Despite these substantial reserves, Brazil’s actual output remains minimal. In 2024, the country produced just 20 tons of rare earths — the lowest among major nations on the USGS list. In comparison, China produced 270,000 tons in the same year.

This article, originally published in Portuguese by Poder360 on July 27, was translated and republished by Caixin Global under a mutual content-sharing arrangement.

Contact editor Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com)

caixinglobal.com is the English-language online news portal of Chinese financial and business news media group Caixin. Global Neighbours is authorized to reprint this article.

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