Highlights
- China Minmetals Chairman Chen Dexin announces expanded investment in Gansu province’s mineral resources at the 31st China Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair.
- The move represents a centralized strategy to control rare earth elements, tungsten, nickel, and lithium deposits, aligning with national geopolitical ambitions.
- Minmetals’ integrated approach aims to strengthen China’s dominance in critical mineral supply chains and challenge Western resource strategies.
At the 31st China Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair on July 6, 2025, China Minmetals Chairman Chen Dexin signaled an intensifying alignment between central state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and the mineral-rich western province of Gansu. His keynote appearance—alongside high-ranking Communist Party officials—underscores China’s strategic push to integrate local development with national critical minerals security.
Chen emphasized that China Minmetals, as a backbone state enterprise, will expand investment in Gansu, integrating the province’s mineral base into the company’s full-spectrum supply chain—from exploration to finance. This aligns closely with the CCP’s broader “Belt and Road” and “Resource Security” strategies.
China Minmetals Deepens Gansu Ties at Lanzhou Trade Fair
Source: China Minmetals
Implications for Rare Earth and Strategic Mineral Supply Chains
Gansu as a Strategic Mineral Base
Gansu is home to key deposits of rare earth elements (REEs), tungsten, nickel, and lithium. Minmetals’ deeper integration suggests a centralization of control over Gansu’s assets—making theprovince a launchpad for expanding domestic supply and circumventingWestern decoupling efforts.
CCP Playbook: Local-Global Fusion
The speech echoes a long-running pattern: Beijing uses central SOEs like Minmetals to bridge local development goals with national geopolitical ambitions. Expect rare earth refining, stockpiling, and downstream magnet or battery investments to intensify in Gansu, backed by SOE financing and export coordination.
Competitive Signal to the West
Minmetals’ integrated model—covering minerals from mine mouth to advanced processing and logistics—contrasts sharply with fragmented Western supply chains. This speech reaffirms China’s determination to outflank U.S. reshoring efforts and dominate mineral value chains, not just upstream, but all the way to advanced materials.
Possible Belt and Road REE Nexus. With Gansu positioned along Belt and Road corridors, the expansion of Minmetals’ presence could facilitate the export of rare earth and battery materials to BRI nations, further diluting U.S.-led efforts to contain China’s resource influence.
Signals for Investors
This is not just a regional photo op—it’s a window into China’s long game. Expect China Minmetals to accelerate investment in REE refining and critical minerals in western China, reinforcing its dominance in global magnet, alloy, and battery supply chains.
Retail investors watching the rare earth space should take note: Minmetals isn’t standing still, and neither is Beijing.
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