As China's already large fluorochemical industry grows rapidly, transitioning from low to high-end products, Baotou's fluorochemical industry is flourishing and has become one of the city's most promising industries.

The city holds approximately 40 million metric tons of single fluorite reserves, accounting for 59 percent of the national total and 14.2 percent of the world's total. Coupled with the 130 million tons of associated fluorite reserves in the Bayan Obo mining district, Baotou, the city has the most fluorite reserves of anywhere in the world, giving it a strategic resource advantage.

The city currently has a production capacity of 600,000 tons of fluorite concentrate and aims to reach a production scale of 1 million tons by 2025, providing a stable supply of raw materials for the development of the fluorochemical industry.

With the national emphasis on protecting high-grade fluorite resources, the recovery and utilization of by-product resources have gradually become the primary means of developing associated fluorite resources, creating favorable conditions for the large-scale and high-quality development of the city's fluorochemical industry.

The city has formed an industrial chain of fluorite-fluorite concentrate-anhydrous hydrofluoric acid, becoming the most critical link in the development of downstream fluorochemical industries. Leading fluorochemical companies such as Kings and Yonghe fluoride industry companies have set up operations in Baotou.

"Our city will leverage the clean and efficient development and utilization of fluorite resources in Bayan Obo, promote the coordinated development of upstream and downstream products, and strive to achieve an output value of 5 billion yuan ($690.23 million) by the end of 2024," said a relevant official from the Baotou bureau of industry and information technology.