Economic Security 101: why China’s officials now have to study rare earths and supply chains

In his decades toiling as a health official in a coastal Chinese province, Alan Chen has rarely had to study a subject about which he knew so little.“Nd is Neodymium. It is needed for almost all modern EV motors. China dominates the refining of Nd oxide. Dy is Dysprosium. It is needed for magnets to operate at high temperatures and is also essential for EV motors.”This was the kind of content Chen pored over in a training course he attended at the Central Party School, the Communist Party’s top educational institution, in Beijing.For six months, Chen joined hundreds of middle-aged officials from across China and various disciplines for studies to prepare promising mid-level cadres to take on bigger roles in China.In the past, much of the focus has been on political ideology, decision-making and international relations, but now the officials are being instructed on area that is more important than ever: supply chains and economic security.The school is one of the main ways Beijing grooms talent, enabling cadres to leave their jobs and study full time for a semester.