Baotou Q1 2025 Rare Earth Industry Added Value up 10% Year-On-Year

According to the Baotou City Statistics Bureau, Baotou's economy achieved a strong start in Q1 2025. The city's GDP reached 109.13 billion yuan, up 7.1% year-on-year at constant prices.

By sector, the primary industry's added value grew by 5.0%, the secondary industry by 11.7%, and the tertiary industry by 4.0%, with their contributions to GDP at 0.8:46.5:52.7, and their respective contributions to economic growth at 0.6%, 67.3%, and 32.1%. The industrial, construction, and non-profit service sectors were the main drivers of growth, contributing 81.2% to Baotou's economic growth in Q1.

Rare earth mine picture

I. Steady Industrial Growth with Expanding New Productivity

Q1 saw a 13.0% year-on-year increase in added value of industrial enterprises above the designated size, surpassing the national (6.5%) and regional (7.0%) averages by 6.5 and 6.0 percentage points, respectively, marking 55 consecutive months of double-digit growth.

All three major industrial categories grew: mining added value increased by 20.5%, manufacturing by 13.4%, and electricity, heat, gas, and water production and supply by 7.1%. Among 34 major industry categories, 23 saw growth, a growth coverage of 67.6%.

Pillar industries maintained stable growth: the crystalline silicon photovoltaic, steel, aluminum, and rare earth industries saw added value increases of 12.1%, 3.0%, 6.8%, and 10.6%, respectively, collectively driving a 5.8 percentage point increase in industrial added value above the designated size. Additionally, the onshore wind power equipment industry’s added value surged by 59.8%, exceeding the industrial average by 46.8 percentage points.

Six out of ten product outputs grew: among 30 key monitored products in Baotou, 18 saw year-on-year output increases, including rare earth compounds up 6.6%, single rare earth metals up 13.0%, polysilicon up 132.1%, monocrystalline silicon up 65.6%, ferroalloys up 85.3%, and aluminum up 9.5%.

New productivity continued to expand: Baotou focused on building "3+5+N" key industrial clusters, accelerating strategic emerging industries. Strategic emerging industries’ added value grew by 15.7%, with five major new industries—fluorine materials, carbon fiber and polymer new materials, and new energy heavy trucks and components—surging by 37.6%, outpacing the industrial average by 24.6 percentage points.

Rare earth permanent magnet material picture

II. Steady Investment Growth with Accelerating Transition of Growth Drivers

Q1 fixed asset investment grew by 20.9% year-on-year, surpassing national (4.2%) and regional (20.0%) averages by 16.7 and 0.9 percentage points, respectively.

Industrial investment provided significant support: primary industry investment grew by 13.6%; secondary industry investment rose by 25.6%, with industrial investment also up 25.6%, exceeding overall investment growth by 4.7 percentage points, accounting for 85.7% of total investment (up 3.2 percentage points from last year), and driving a 21.1 percentage point increase in overall investment; tertiary industry investment fell by 1.9%.

Wind power and rare earth industries saw robust investment growth: driven by wind power projects, wind power industry investment surged 94.4 times year-on-year, boosting citywide investment by 21.6 percentage points. Additionally, under the city’s initiative to build "two rare earth bases," rare earth industry investment grew 3.4 times year-on-year, contributing 6.5 percentage points to overall investment growth.

 

 

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