中国拥有世界上最丰富的稀土资源。1998年中国稀土氧化物（REO)的生产能力已达到20000 t,几乎为世界需求的2倍，严重依赖出口，出口童占生产童的2/3。文章论述了稀土在冶金、永磁、储氢合金、催化剂、固体氧化物燃料电池和激光材料等方面的应用进展；指出我国未来稀土工业的方向是开发髙技术含童和高附加值的产品，拓宽国内和国际市场。

China has the richest rare earth resources in the world.The annual processing capacity of REO (rare earth oxides) had reached 110 kt in 1998, which was almost twice the world demand. As a result, its rare earth has to rely on export. The exported rare earth accounts for two thirds of its total production. The better way out for this problem is to develop new products, especially the high-tech materials and high value-added products, then industrialize them and exploit further domestic and overseas markets. The application of rare earth in fields of metallurgy, permanent magnet, hydrogen storage alloys (nickel metal hydride battery, power source for electromobile, etc.), catalysis (in petroleum cracking and automobile exhaust emission control), solid oxide fuel cell and laser materials, etc., is described in this paper.