In order to implement the "Thirteenth Five Year Plan for the Development of Strategic Emerging Industries" and guide the allocation of resources from the whole society, the National Development and Reform Commission and relevant departments organized the compilation of the "Guiding Catalogue of Key Products and Services for Strategic Emerging Industries" 2016 edition, which was announced on January 25, 2017.

This directory covers 5 strategic emerging industries, 8 industries, and 174 sub directions under 40 key directions, with nearly 4000 segmented products and services. Among them, those involving rare earths include: rare earth functional materials, including high-performance rare earth (permanent) magnetic materials and their products, rare earth catalytic materials, rare earth hydrogen storage materials, rare earth optical functional materials, giant magnetostrictive materials, rare earth optical fibers, rare earth laser crystals, rare earth ceramic materials, high-performance rare earth polishing materials, rare earth magneto-optical storage materials, rare earth magnetic cooling materials, as well as rare earth nanomaterials, high-purity rare earth compounds, rare earth environmentally friendly pigments, etc; Electric motors and driving equipment, including energy-saving motor technologies and equipment such as small and medium power rare earth permanent magnet coreless motors, variable pole starting rotor induction motors without slip rings, permanent magnet synchronous motors, etc; Comprehensive utilization of non-ferrous metal (including rare metal) mineral resources, including the comprehensive utilization of rare earth metal ores and complex and difficult to process rare and precious metal coexisting ores in the process of beneficiation and metallurgy; Optical communication equipment includes rare earth doped optical fibers, etc.

It is reported that compared with the 2013 edition of the "Guiding Catalogue for Key Products and Services in Strategic Emerging Industries", the 2016 edition has expanded "rare earth luminescent materials" to "rare earth optical functional materials" in the direction of rare earth functional materials, and added rare earth nanomaterials, high-purity rare earth compounds, rare earth environmentally friendly pigments, etc.