Highlights

• China Minmetals convenes 2025 conference to reinforce national strategy of resource security and global mineral control
• State-owned enterprise plans full industry chain integration and aggressive overseas mining asset acquisition
• Conference signals Beijing's coordinated approach to securing critical minerals for economic and technological advancement

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China Minmetals, (opens in a new tab) one of the world’s largest state-owned mining conglomerates, convened its 2025 Mineral Resources Work Conference on August 8, outlining an ambitious strategy to tighten control of global mineral supply chains.

Party Secretary and Chairman Chen Dexin led the session, emphasizing alignment with President Xi Jinping’s directives on resource security. President Zhu Kebing (opens in a new tab) presided, with top leadership and directors present. The tone was unmistakable: China Minmetals is doubling down on its role as the nation’s “primary resource champion” during the **15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030)**—what executives are calling a “golden era” for resource expansion.

Key Themes

• Resource Security as National Strategy – The conference framed mineral supply as central to China’s economic and security posture. Leadership stressed urgency in consolidating and expanding China’s control over metals and minerals.
• Full Industry Chain Integration – Plans include tighter coordination across exploration, mining, processing, and downstream manufacturing, ensuring China captures value at every stage.
• Global Resource Acquisition – Executives called for “expanding channels” for new mining projects abroad, underscoring Beijing’s drive to secure overseas assets amid escalating global competition.
• Talent and Standards Push – China Minmetals pledged new group-wide standards for mine management and accelerated training pipelines to build a unified workforce for the mining sector.

Why It Matters for the West

For U.S. and allied policymakers, the conference offers a blunt reminder: China sees minerals not just as commodities, but as strategic levers. While Washington just starts to debate the merits of industrial policy, Beijing is executing long-range plans with clear state backing.

President Zhu Kebing

The implications are immediate:

• China Minmetals will likely be more aggressive in competing for global mining concessions, from Africa to South America.
• Integrated strategies mean Beijing isn’t just mining raw materials—it is embedding control from pit to product, raising barriers for Western supply chain independence.
• With the U.S. still struggling to fund domestic mining projects and refine permitting, the timing of China’s “golden era” could cement an enduring lead in critical resources essential for clean energy, semiconductors, and defense.

Bottom Line

China Minmetals’ 2025 conference highlights how resource nationalism and industrial strategy are inseparable in Beijing’s playbook. For Western stakeholders—whether in government, industry, or investment—the signal is clear: the world’s second-largest economy is mobilizing state power to secure mineral dominance. The West’s challenge will be whether it can respond with equal coordination and speed.

Profile

China Minmetals, a state-owned enterprise founded in 1950 and directly overseen by China’s central government, has grown into a Fortune Global 500 powerhouse with assets exceeding RMB 1.3 trillion and 2024 revenues topping RMB 833.2 billion. Operating nine publicly listed companies across Shanghai and Hong Kong, Minmetals has transformed from a trading house into a vertically integrated global mining and metals giant through decades of restructuring, most notably its 2015 merger with China Metallurgical Group (MCC).

Today, its portfolio spans metals and minerals, steel engineering, logistics, finance, and real estate, with operations in 43 mines worldwide, including major assets in Peru, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. Its mineral holdings cover over 70% of China’s Strategic Non-Energy Mineral Catalogue, with world-leading reserves in tungsten, graphite, bismuth, and strong positions in nickel, lithium, zinc, and potash. Beyond mining, Minmetals is a central force in China’s steel construction, bulk raw material trade, and industrial finance, while its R&D footprint includes 19 research institutes, 48 national labs, and 61,000 active patents. With Xi Jinping’s directives shaping its path, Minmetals’ stated mission is to ensure resource security and global competitiveness in mining—positioning itself not only as China’s industrial backbone but also as a strategic player in the global minerals race.

China Minmetals Rare Earth is now part of the larger state-owned conglomerate, the China Rare Earth Group, formed in 2021 by merging several of China's major rare earth enterprises, including Minmetals Rare Earth Co., Chinalco Rare Earth & Metals Co., and China Southern Rare Earth Group. This consolidation creates a single dominant entity in the global rare earth industry, consolidating China's strategic position and control over the market.

Source: China Minmetals Corporation, August 22, 2025

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