GEBENG, April 9 -- Australian mining firm Lynas told AFP on Wednesday it plans to expand its portfolio of rare earths extracted in Malaysia, as it hopes to bolster its position as a key alternative supplier to China.

The company, which owns the largest commercial rare earths plant outside of China, also said it would increase collaboration with makers of high-performance magnets that are used in advanced industries such as electronics and aerospace.

"The first step was to demonstrate that we are able to extract heavy rares (earths)," Lynas chief operating officer Pol Le Roux said in an interview at the company's facility in eastern Malaysia's Gebeng.

"We demonstrated that with dysprosium in May last year, terbium in June and samarium l...