Malaysia's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Chang Lih Kang said Malaysia's plan to control rare earth exports will only apply to raw materials, not processed rare earth products.。

In September, the Malaysian government announced a plan to control exports of rare earths, which are used in high-tech manufacturing.。On September 11, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told parliament that the government was working on a policy to ban the export of rare earths to avoid "exploitation and loss of resources and to guarantee maximum returns to the country."。

Separately, Malaysia's Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, said the government did not consider it feasible to export processed rare earth minerals.。"I think the details of the policy will continue to be implemented and the development of processing plants should be taken into account, and all of this will take time," he said.。

It is reported that Malaysia contains a large number of rare earth minerals and elements, such as lanthanides, which are magnetic minerals that can be used in electronic and optical devices, and have an important position in the field of high-tech electronic products and renewable technologies.。In July, Nik Nazmi told parliament that Malaysia had about 16.1 million tonnes of non-radioactive rare earth elements, valued at about 809.6 billion ringgit ($169 billion).。

Today, the rare earth industry has been identified as a "high-value, high-growth" sector, with Prime Minister Anwar saying that non-radioactive rare earth materials are expected to contribute RM9.5 billion to Malaysia's GDP by 2025, creating nearly 7,000 jobs.。

Meanwhile, Chang Lih Kang also announced that the government has renewed Lynas Rare Earth's license to allow the Australian company to continue importing raw materials containing radioactive materials until March 2026.。Not only that, but Lynas was allowed to continue its cracking and leaching work in the country, using a new method to extract and reuse thorium (a weak radioactive metal chemical element) from waste residue。

"Lynas has come up with a new proposal for thorium extraction," said Chang Lih Kang.。After several months of due diligence research by the Government Atomic Energy Licensing Commission, it was found that this extraction method could be used and the residue extracted was slightly below the prescribed limit. "。

Lynas is currently facing resistance on the ground as the Malaysian government has raised concerns about radiation levels from its rare earth processing activities, as well as upcoming export control measures.。Recently, the company announced its intention to temporarily stop all rare earth processing operations in Malaysia.。

Chang Lih Kang reiterated that the government's position remains that it does not want radioactive waste to continue to accumulate in Malaysia.。