BEIJING - Strategic rare earth minerals will only be mined by a few select State-owned enterprises (SOEs) as part of the government's bid to crack down on illegal exploitation and consolidate reserves, according to sources close to the matter.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission have sent the draft plan to the State Council for approval.

"Once approved, the Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) will issue licenses and start allocating the resources to those companies," said a source, who refused to disclose names of the short-listed enterprises. "Private enterprises can only collaborate with the selected firms through shareholding."