"Messy" is a term often used to describe China's rare earth mining industry. It has earned this distinction because of the severe environmental degradation, illegal mining practices and smuggling that have become endemic to the industry.

While many countries around the world are eager to develop their rare earth mining industries, China just wants to clean up its act.

In the most recent bid to reduce the negative impact of China's rare earth mining industry, authorities from a variety of mining-related companies and groups convened at a high-level meeting on Monday and Tuesday to discuss environmental protection, industrial consolidation and the regulation of rare earth mining and exports.

The meeting, authorized by the State Council, or China's cabinet, urged more efforts to implement a guideline issued by the Cabinet last month to promote the healthy development of the rare earth mining industry.

The guideline, reported as the first of its kind in 11 years, is designed to enhance industrial consolidation, crack down on smuggling and illegal mining practices and set up a national strategic stockpile system for rare earth metals.