China reveals new key mineral discoveries

China has announced new mineral discoveries, including rare earth and other key deposits that have recently been identified in southwestern and northwestern regions, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Rare earth elements, fluorite, barite and antimony were identified in Mianning county, Sichuan province, and Dangchang county in Gansu province, the ministry said on Wednesday.

The findings mark the latest progress in China's new round of mineral exploration efforts. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–25), the campaign has delivered remarkable results, including the discovery of 10 oil fields, each with reserves exceeding 100 million metric tons, and 19 large gas fields, the ministry said.

Reserves of key minerals such as uranium, copper, gold, lithium and potash have also increased substantially. A number of world-class resource bases have emerged in recent years, including a copper deposit exceeding 100 million tons in Xizang autonomous region, a super-large gold mine in Laizhou, Shandong province, and Asia's largest single lithium deposit in Yajiang, Sichuan province, the ministry said.