China Ministry of Natural Resources Advances 300 Energy and Resource Bases to Raise Mineral Self-Sufficiency

Highlights

• China will advance roughly 300 energy and resource bases during the 15th Five-Year Plan to significantly raise strategic mineral self-sufficiency.
• Beijing targets shortage commodities like copper and iron while also expanding exploration of rare earths, classified as an advantage mineral.
• Sichuan's Maoniuping rare-earth mine added ~9.666 million tonnes of REO resources, bringing cumulative identified resources to ~11.46 million tonnes.
• China plans to expand geological mapping to 51% of its land area and apply AI to mineral exploration, deepening its upstream resource base.
• Vice Minister Zhou Xing linked mineral security directly to advanced manufacturing, framing geology and industrial power as one national system.