10-07-2025
China discovers 38 new mineral deposits this year
BEIJING -- China reported a surge in mineral discoveries in the first half of 2025, identifying 38 new deposits—up 31 percent year-on-year—including 25 classified as large or medium-sized, the Ministry of Natural Resources said on Thursday.
The ministry also highlighted major breakthroughs in the exploration of important mineral resources.
Among the most significant finds was China's first super-large uranium deposit, located in Heilongjiang province in the northeast, according to China Daily.
In Xinglong county, North China's Hebei province, newly added rubidium resources amounted to 3.37 million metric tonnes, achieving a super-large scale and strengthening China's dominant position in rubidium ore.
In Longhua county, also in Hebei, the newly added cobalt resources reached 27,000 tonnes, reaching a large scale.
Songtao county in Southwest China's Guizhou province saw the addition of manganese resources totalling 22.85 million tonnes, reaching a large scale. In Tekes county, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the newly added gold resources amounted to 81 tonnes, with a cumulative find approaching 100 tonnes, representing a major breakthrough on a super-large scale.
The ministry said most mineral exploration targets under the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) have already been achieved ahead of schedule.
In addition, the national non-oil and gas mineral exploration investment reached 7 billion yuan ($975 million), a year-on-year increase of 23.9 percent, it said.
It highlighted a growing enthusiasm among enterprises to engage in mineral exploration. Social funds invested 3.6 billion yuan, marking an almost 30 percent year-on-year increase and constituting nearly half of the country's total investment. Central and local financial funds combined reached 3.6 billion yuan, reflecting a 20 percent year-on-year increase.
In terms of mineral types, exploration investments have surged in minerals such as tin, tungsten, copper and phosphate ores, as well as bauxite, showing year-on-year increases of over 50 percent. Exploration investments in coal, lead-zinc, molybdenum, gold, graphite and other minerals have also experienced varying degrees of growth.
China also stepped up the issuance of exploration rights, granting a record 581 permits for strategic minerals in 2024. In the first half of 2025, 318 additional rights were issued.
