English 
Spanish 
4 min read
0 comments
China has revealed the results of its $15 billion investment in mineral exploration, with 124 new deposits discovered and four gigantic oil and natural gas fields. Find out how this advance could impact the global energy scenario!
O China's investment in mineral exploration has grown significantly, driving the country to make great strides in discovering new deposits. In the last year alone, the Ministry of Natural Resources of China reported the discovery of 124 additional mineral deposits, in addition to oil and gas fields, further strengthening the country's strategic reserves and increasing its self-sufficiency in sectors critics.
According to press of the Asian country, the total investment in mineral exploration reached 110 billion yuan (approximately US$15,5 billion), consolidating the third consecutive year of growth.
Chiana's strategy for mineral exploration and strategic reserves
In 2021, Beijing launched a long-term strategy aimed at strengthening exploration and ensuring energy security and self-sufficiency in critical minerals.
- PPSA expects R$500 billion in revenue and the Union could reach the top 3 largest oil producers by 2030
- Petrobras confirms one of its biggest discoveries and has already set a date to begin exploration
- Discover Petrobras' ambitious plan that could generate 25 THOUSAND jobs and investments of more than R$130 BILLION
- “If this happens, gasoline will cost R$40 reais,” warns Sergio Sacani about oil production
This 15-year strategy focuses primarily on minerals essential for high-tech industries, such as fluorite, crystalline graphite and molybdenum.
Fluorite, a mineral vital for the production of semiconductors and electric vehicle batteries, saw its reserves increase by 24,4% last year to reach 107 million tonnes.
Another highlight was crystalline graphite, used in industries such as nuclear energy and defense, which grew by 23,9%, surpassing the 100 million ton mark.
These advances are part of China's ongoing effort to ensure its capabilities are aligned with demand from emerging industries, especially in sectors such as new energy and aerospace.
Furthermore, the country continues to lead the world in the production of minerals such as antimony, tungsten and molybdenum, which are essential for several cutting-edge technologies.
New oil and gas fields: strengthening energy security
In addition to mineral reserves, China has made important discoveries in oil and natural gas exploration. Four new oil fields, with a capacity of over 100 million tons each, have been discovered.
These fields have a total capacity of 746 million barrels, further strengthening the country's energy security.
Likewise, four natural gas fields, with more than 100 billion cubic meters of capacity each, were discovered, signaling a significant boost in energy production.
Growth of mineral reserves for food security
Another critical area for Chinese growth is agricultural production, which relies heavily on minerals such as sylvite, which is essential for fertilizer production.
Over the past year, sylvite reserves have increased by 15,3% to 332 million tonnes. This represents an important step towards ensuring food security in a country with a growing demand for high-quality agricultural production.
The strategic importance of discoveries
The recent breakthroughs are part of a broader approach by Xi Jinping, who sees the pursuit of domestic resources as a pillar of national economy and security.
The discoveries are crucial to meeting growing domestic and international demand, as well as helping the country reduce its dependence on imports of essential resources.
However, China's moves to tighten controls on exports of critical minerals have raised global concerns, especially in sectors such as semiconductors, electric vehicles and defense.
Beijing recently tightened export restrictions on antimony, gallium, germanium and graphite, raising questions about the impact on global supplies of materials essential for high-tech manufacturing.
Maritime research and exploration
China has also invested in exploring maritime and oceanic areas, expanding its geological research beyond land territory.
This approach aims to find new mineral deposits and natural resources on the seabed, further increasing the country's self-sufficiency in areas such as energy production and deep-sea mining.
With increasing investment and the continued discovery of mineral deposits, China is getting closer to achieving its goals of energy security and mineral self-sufficiency.
This progress positions the country as a global force in sectors that depend on strategic minerals, strengthening its role as one of the main producers and consumers of natural resources on the world stage.
In short, China’s drive to expand its reserves of critical resources, combined with its ability to discover new deposits, is transforming the global dynamics of strategic minerals, with impacts that echo across industries around the world.
Be the first to react!