Ren Xinyuan
Postdoctoral Fellow at Centre on Contemporary China and the World, University of Hong Kong
Ren Xinyuan is Postdoctoral Fellow at Centre on Contemporary China and the World (CCCW) of the University of Hong Kong. He received his PhD in Politics and International Studies from University of Warwick and an MA in Asian Studies from George Washington University.
Mar 29, 2026
China’s export controls on rare earths have exposed Japan’s persistent dependence, prompting Tokyo to promote deep-sea mining as a path to self-sufficiency. However, the Minamitorishima project appears driven as much by political signaling as by industrial viability, given high costs, technological constraints, and China’s continued dominance in refining.
