China's strategic mineral exploration soars with 200 new deposits discovered

China has achieved major progress in its strategic mineral exploration push, with geological exploration investment rising for a fifth consecutive year in 2025 and 200 new non-oil and gas mineral deposits discovered nationwide, according to a mineral resources report issued on Friday.

The China Mineral Resources Report 2026, released by the Ministry of Natural Resources at the ongoing China Mining Conference and Exhibition in Tianjin, showed that the 200 new deposits were 63 large-scale, 57 medium-scale and 80 small-scale. Gold led with 16 discoveries, followed by iron ore with 11, coal with nine, and manganese and lithium with eight each.

The report said that the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period also saw the discovery of 398 medium-to-large strategic mineral deposits, including 225 oil and gas fields. By the end of the period, China ranked first globally in reserves of 14 minerals, including rare earths, tungsten, tin and molybdenum, and placed among the world's top four for nine others, such as coal, iron, manganese and titanium.

Major mineral product supply remained stable in 2025. Coal output reached 4.85 billion metric tons, up 1.4 percent year-on-year. Crude oil production rose 1.5 percent to 216 million tons, growing for a seventh straight year. Natural gas output climbed 6.3 percent to 262.06 billion cubic meters, marking a ninth consecutive year of increases exceeding 10 billion cubic meters, the report said.

Output of 10 major nonferrous metals totaled 81.75 million tons, up 3.9 percent, while phosphate ore production surged 11.5 percent to 120 million tons, it added.

China completed restoration of 223,000 hectares of historically abandoned mines during the past five-year period, exceeding the target by 19.6 percent. Last year, the central government allocated 5.15 billion yuan ($767 million) for ecological restoration at abandoned mines.

The report highlighted strengthened technological innovation. These include advances in exploration technology and equipment, the publication of four national standards and 55 industry standards in the past year, and landmark results in deep mineral exploration, national resource assessment and metallogenic research.

These breakthroughs have been underpinned by institutional reform, according to the report. A revised Mineral Resources Law and its implementing regulation were enacted in 2025 to enhance resource security, promote rational development and utilization of mineral resources, safeguard legitimate rights of mining rights holders, and advance high-quality development of the mining industry.