In March 2026, the Ministry of Natural Resources announced that China has made new progress in its new round of strategic breakthroughs in mineral exploration. Various solid minerals such as rare earths, fluorite, barite, and antimony have been newly discovered in Mianning, Sichuan and Dangchang, Gansu, adding new momentum to ensure national energy and resource security.

Since the 14th Five Year Plan period, China has delivered impressive results in its new round of breakthrough strategic actions in mineral exploration. A total of 10 billion ton oil fields and 19 large gas fields have been newly discovered nationwide, with significant increases in key mineral resources such as uranium, copper, gold, lithium, and potassium salts. A number of world-class resource bases have emerged, including Xizang's super 100 million ton copper mine, Shandong Laizhou Xiling super large gold mine, Sichuan Yajiang Asia's largest monomer lithium mine, which has provided strong support for national strategic resource reserves and industrial chain supply chain security.Editor/Gao Xue