China reports world-leading reserves in 14 minerals and deep-sea discoveries

According to the “China Mineral Resources Report 2026” released by the Ministry of Natural Resources, China holds the world's largest reserves of 14 minerals, including rare earths, tungsten, tin, and molybdenum. Additionally, the country ranks among the top four globally for reserves of coal, iron, manganese, and titanium.

Recent exploration efforts have yielded significant results. In 2025, China discovered 200 new non-oil and gas mineral sites, including 63 large-scale deposits. Notable new finds include gold, iron, coal, manganese, and lithium. Energy production also showed growth, with coal production increasing by 1.4% and natural gas by 6.3%.

Complementing these terrestrial findings, researchers aboard the oceanographic vessel Xiangyanghong 10 discovered a high-temperature hydrothermal field in the Western Pacific within China's exclusive economic zone. Samples from this submarine polymetallic sulfide deposit show gold concentrations of up to 15.4 ppm and silver concentrations of 1,271 ppm, values that significantly exceed many terrestrial mine concentrations.