Significant breakthroughs were made in the exploration of important mineral types in China in the first half of the year

Today (10th), the Ministry of Natural Resources announced that in the first half of 2025, significant breakthroughs will be made in the exploration of important mineral types in China, with 38 new mineral deposits discovered and investment in non oil and gas mineral exploration continuing to increase.
In the first half of this year, China discovered 38 new mineral deposits, a year-on-year increase of 31%, including 25 large and medium-sized ones.
In Xinglong County, Hebei Province, an additional 3.37 million tons of rubidium resources were added; In Tekes County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, an additional 81 tons of gold resources have been added, with a total of nearly 100 tons identified.
As of now, the vast majority of mineral resources have completed the “14th Five Year Plan” prospecting target ahead of schedule.
At the same time, investment in non oil and gas mineral exploration across the country continues to grow.
The exploration investment in tin, bauxite, tungsten, copper, phosphate and other minerals increased by more than 50% year-on-year, while the exploration investment in coal, lead-zinc, molybdenum, gold, graphite and other minerals also increased to varying degrees.
In the first half of this year, China invested 6.693 billion yuan in non oil and gas mineral exploration, a year-on-year increase of 23.9%, maintaining a rapid growth momentum.
Niu Li, Deputy Director of the Geological Exploration Management Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources, stated that in terms of the structure of mineral exploration investment in the first half of the year, social funds reached 3.359 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 28.2%, accounting for 48% of the total mineral exploration investment. This indicates that the enthusiasm of enterprises to invest in mineral exploration is constantly increasing. In the future, we will take the official implementation of the New Mineral Resources Law as an opportunity to strengthen basic geological work, intensify the implementation of a new round of breakthrough strategic actions for mineral exploration, and further enhance the national energy and resource security capabilities.